CEMETERIES are full of the graves of young drivers who died before their time. The hearts of those they left behind are heavy with thoughts of what might have been.
Over 1,000 people were killed or injured in the West Midlands in just 12 months in road accidents involving young motorists.
That is a profoundly shocking scale of carnage.
Not all those killed or maimed were young, of course. Young drivers, though an obvious danger to themselves, pose a risk to other road users, too.
But it is crucial that motorists aged between 15-25 are targeted if our roads are to become safer.
Jools Townsend, head of education at the road safety charity Brake, is right when he says that too many youngsters believe they are invincible and fail to weigh up the possible consequences of their actions.
The education campaign launched by Brake and Co-operative Insurance will be an important weapon in the battle to win the hearts and minds of young drivers.
But is education by itself enough to tackle this problem?
The Birmingham Mail is unconvinced and, in the weeks ahead, will be looking in detail at road safety.
Today's figures cannot be ignored.