FAMILIES of road accident victims joined in a tragic roadside memorial campaign launched on Sunday on the anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

Small plaques appearing on verges and paths across the country mark the spot where a loved one was lost or badly injured.

The Remember Me signs are from RoadPeace, a national charity trying to prevent road deaths and highlighting injustices suffered by victims.

Behind every one is a heartbreaking tale of personal tragedy and of grief which will never go away.

Teenager Lynsey Richards' life was snatched away in seconds one terrible night last March.

The 17-year-old from Bishop Auckland had a return bus ticket in her handbag when she accepted a lift home from a night out with a friend in Crook.

Less than a mile down the road the car she was travelling in with three others collided with a taxi and was spun round.

She suffered massive internal injuries and had to be cut free from the red Nova's mangled wreckage. The driver, the girlfriend who had shared her night out and another young man from Willington escaped with barely a scratch.

Less than six months on, Lynsey's family are still out of their minds with grief and rage.

Lynsey's 22-year-old sister Natalie speaks for her parents Brian and Margaret. She protects her younger sister's memory, just as she looked out for her when she was alive.

Natalie's baby son Finlay was born on the Monday night before the tragedy and Lynsey had spent every minute she could with her new nephew.

She had left school the previous summer and was carving herself a career in accountancy.

Natalie said: "My sister should not have died. She was the sensible one and would never normally have accepted a lift.

"She was always happy, always smiling. We were friends as well as sisters and I miss her so much."

Contact the RoadPeace helpline on 0845 4500355 or their London office 020 8838 5102.