A young woman who survived a serious car crash eight years ago has urged people to remember they are "driving a loaded weapon".
In 2016, Méabh White and her mother Clodagh suffered serious injuries in a crash with a larger vehicle that saw their car propelled at speed into a wall.
Her younger brother was also in the car but escaped uninjured.
They have since been tireless in their efforts to raise awareness and contribute to road safety.
Ms White said her emotional scars may never heal.
"On the 9th of July 2016 my life very nearly ended - I was involved in a very serious double-impact road traffic collision," she said
"I was on life support for a number of days afterwards.
"I cracked my skull, had bleeds to my brain, broke part of my back, neck and pelvis and was in a wheelchair for a week afterwards.
"While the physical scars have healed - and I'm very, very lucky to say I don't look like I've been in a car accident - the emotional ones definitely haven't."
'Not the place for excessive speed'
Ms White there's a lot people don't see in the aftermath of a serious car crash.
"There's a lot of things with car accidents that people don't see - the presses full of medication, the trauma, the younger children that were in the car that saw their mum leave that day and she didn't come back for a month later and when she did, she was in a wheelchair," she said.
"I don't have the same stamina as my friends, I get tired very easily."
Ms White said people shouldn't take any risks on the road.
"I would appeal to any drivers, any road users [that] when you're on the road it is not the place to take risks," she said.
"It's not the place for excessive speed.
"When you are driving a car, you're driving a loaded weapon and speed kills.
"It can do detrimental effects to others and if you're lucky enough to survive, the life that you once had, it'll never be the same again".
Ms White said she doesn't "harbour any anger because that would only make me more unwell."
She was awarded the 2023 'Gertie Shields Supreme Award' in road safety along with her mother, Clodagh.
