Road safety activist, Denise Dias was recently involved in a serious car accident and says wearing a seatbelt ensured she walked away with only minor bruises.

Her groceries, handbag, some tools, CDs and even the driver's cap were flung from the vehicle as it tumbled over after being rear-ended by a cement truck.

Dias is best know for her vigorous 'Mothers in Black' campaign to change the attitudes of drivers and to strengthen laws against dangerous driving.

On November 27 she was a passenger in a 4x4 on the Rupert Craig Highway which after coming off Sheriff Street was on the way to her Oleander Gardens home.

The driver was about to slow down near to a fruit stand when the vehicle was suddenly slammed from behind.

Dias recalls that the vehicle was immediately propelled into the air as if on some roller coaster before landing off to the left of the roadway and rolling over twice.

"When the vehicle finally stopped we just looked at each other and asked what had hit us." Both she and the driver left the vehicle completely unaided.

Only moments later a pile-up occurred on the other side of the dual carriageway

involving two trucks and a jeep, apparently from people slowing down to see her accident. Dias says some passengers were injured because they may have not been wearing seatbelts. She is now calling for the mandatory use of rear seatbelts.

She was heartened by the fact that many drivers and front seat passengers were buckling up but continues to caution against speeding on the roads.

According to Dias, speeding is the cause of most accidents and she wants stringent measures including the enactment of the radar gun bill.

Mothers in Black has campaigned vigorously for changes in the traffic laws and is poised to continue working towards this end next year through the education system, Dias says.

She adds that an international organisation has given a verbal commitment to assist them in taking their campaign to schools with the aim of bringing back road safety patrol groups.