The grieving parents of a 21-year-old killed in a car crash are calling for new legislation in the hope that no young driver suffers the same fate as their son.
They have told how Jacob Elliot Brown, who was a father of one, was set to start a new life by moving to France to become a ski instructor this year, but tragedy struck.
An inquest has heard that car enthusiast Jacob, from Dunstall, died after his car was involved in a collision with a Range Rover in Barton under Needwood on Saturday, November 11. He died almost a month later in hospital on Thursday, December 7.
The family of the electrical engineer, also known as Jake, are now campaigning for it to be made law that all new drivers have black boxes fitted to their cars.
They have told of their "enormous pain and grief" which will always be with them as they struggle every day without their son.
Many insurance companies insist on new young drivers having black boxes fitted. They accurately record how the car is being driven, including the speeds it travels at, but they are not require by law.
Jake's family now want them to be compulsory for new drivers. They believe the move would prevent further tragedies - and now their call has been backed by road safety charity Brake.
Black boxes are the size of a smart phone and record speed, distance travelled and the time of day or night that motorists are out on the roads.
The device also assesses driving style by monitoring braking and cornering. It records the types of road on which drivers typically travel, and the times of day and night they tend to drive, to build up a comprehensive profile of each driver.
The inquest into the young dad, held at Burton Town Hall, heard that Jake's mother, Nichola, was so distraught after her son's death she left her job as a teacher.
She told the hearing: "Jake drove the sort of car he drove (a white 1991 Toyota Starlet) because of his love of cars, first and formost.
"He talked about cars all the times. He lived cars, he breathed cars; but unfortunately for us, Jake's last choice of car didn't have any air bags.
"Because of the age of Jake's car, he wouldn't have been able to have a black box fitted for insurance purposes.
"It's something we feel that all young drivers should have, and for it actually to be made compulsory to have a black box fitted in their car.
"We couldn't go down that option as a parent to have a black box because Jake's car was too old they wouldn't fit it.
"It won't bring Jake back and, in hindsight, we should not have let him have that car, but we can't take that back now; it's just going forward."
A spokesman for road charity Brake said after the inquest: "This tragic case highlights the need for the Government to step-up and do more to protect young drivers in the UK.
"We strongly urge the introduction of Graduated Driver Licensing. Such a system requires a minimum learning period, followed by a phased introduction to independent driving and is proven to work.
"Too many young lives are being lost and we must act now."
The inquest heard that Jake met with friends at The Shoulder Of Mutton pub, in Main Street, Barton, on November 11 before deciding to leave for Jackson's Bank, in Burton.
A report compiled by the police and given to the hearing said Jake left the pub in his car while work friend William Thompson followed behind in his blue Mini Cooper.
The report said the pair then travelled down Main Street at the correct speed limit of 30mph before Jake appeared to pick up speed and accelerate around 50 metres ahead.
Officers say CCTV footage taken on Main Street suggested Jake may have been travelling at, or in excess of, 60mph around 160 metres ahead of where the accident happened - the B5016 at Barton Gate, between Main Street and the junction of Forest Road for Dunstall.
But it was stressed in the report that this was only a possibiliy.
The inquest also heard that road markings at the scene suggested Jake lost control of his vehicle as he attempted a right-hand turn at the bend to enter the straight road.
Police say the former John Taylor High School pupil reacted to the loss of control by "breaking sufficiently hard" to lock the road wheels, which resulted in restricting his ability to steer.
South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh concluded that Jake died as a result of an accident.
He said he suffered serious injuries from the collision and died at the Royal Stoke University Hospital from a traumatic brain injury almost a month later.
PC Martin Colclough, of Staffordshire Police's Collision Investigation Unit, said: "As the Toyota and Mini pass through the centre of the village, they have been seen to have been travelling at or around the speed limit, in close proximity to each other.
"The driver of the Range Rover, whose view of oncoming vehicles is restricted due to layout of road ahead, appears to have reacted by steering to the near side footpath.
"The driver of the Range Rover suffered slight injuries and left the scene on his own occord.
"He (Jacob) only had one pint of Carling the whole time he was in the pub, which he bought himself. He only had one more drink in the pub, which was a J2O.
"Photographs show the driver's seatbelt that had been cut and laid flat to extract the driver. The clasp and buckle of the seatbelt had been left in the buckle receiver which suggests the seatbelt was being worn at the time of the collision.
"We carried our an inquiry into Jake's mobile phone which was provided and no evidence suggested the phone was being used at the time of the collision."
In a statement, Jake's family said after the hearing that what happened to their beloved son and brother was "nothing short of a tragedy".
They said: "As a family we are still coming to terms with our devastating loss.
"He only had 21 years of life but in that time he was a wonderful, caring and loving son, brother and daddy.
"He enjoyed life to the full and touched the hearts of many, all of his friends and family.
"The enormous pain and grief will always be with us and it's a struggle every day without him. We will love and miss him forever.
"Our thanks go to the fire crew from Burton Fire Station and the paramedics from Stoke emergency services, who were on the scene of Jake's accident within minutes.
"Our heartfelt thanks go to the staff at Stoke hospital in the critical care unit who looked after Jake while he was in their care.
"They didn't know him, but they looked after him with dignity and gave us unbelievable support.
"We'd also like to thank our family and friends for their love and care over the last seven months and Staffordshire Police, who have been supporting us throughout.
"If we were to take anything from this tragedy, our hope would be that legislation be introduced to make black box insurance compulsory for the first few years after young drivers passed their test.
"At the moment this is optional and also not available for all cars as it is usually car age dependent."
