When Lives Collide: photography exhibition showing at South Bank’s Oxo Gallery

A hard-hitting and emotive photography exhibition is at a gallery giving visitors an insight into the grief and suffering facing the many hundreds of people killed and injured in road crashes every day in the UK.

Taking place at South Bank’s Oxo Gallery from January 4, When Lives Collide is a exhibition depicting the real-life horror of road collisions as described by those involved, raising awareness about the risks faced by road users on a daily basis.

Shot by photographer, Paul Wenham-Clarke, a  professor of photography at Arts University Bournemouth, the images are being exhibited to mark the 30th anniversary of RoadPeace, the charity for road crash victims.

RoadPeace gives information and support services to people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes and engages in evidence-based policy and campaigning work to fight for justice for victims and reduce road danger.

Since RoadPeace was founded in 1992, 81,315 people have been killed on British roads, which equates to a seven deaths every single day over the last 30 years.

Despite these figures, the public is largely unaware that so many people are affected by collisions, and many don’t believe that they or their loved ones will be involved in a crash.

The exhibition shows  crashes affect everybody – whatever their age or gender and wherever they live.

Nick Simmons, chief executive of RoadPeace, said: “When Lives Collide takes an artistic approach to explore the impact of road harm from the point of view of those directly impacted by it.

“Paul’s work cleverly documents the lives of crash victims and acts as a call to work together to end road death and injury.

We cannot allow this kind of preventable and avoidable suffering to go on.”

Picture: Crumpled Car Picture: Prof Paul Wenham-Clarke