Leicester based Meeran Naran (37) has been awarded an MBE for her services to road safety. Meera Naran's son Dev died when the car he was in was hit by a lorry while stopped on the M6 hard shoulder. She has dedicated this award to Dev. According to the BBC, Dev Naran was killed in May 2018 after a lorry struck his grandfather's car on the hard shoulder of the M6, which was being used by moving traffic.
Meera’s contribution lies in calling for improvements to the smart motorway system, playing a key role in the government's new 18-point safety plan. She said she was "truly honoured and humbled" for the recognition.
She played a pivotal role in the inclusion of updates to the Highway Code around motorway driving and successfully campaigned for the government's £5m road education drive.
She told the BBC, "I'm accepting this in the memory of my son, Dev, and for me it's about continuing to focus on my campaign, which is safer drivers on safer roads. The first person I actually wanted to tell was Dev and it was so hard because he's not here. We were always each other's cheerleaders - it's really hard."
"I feel so emotional but truly honoured and humbled for my hard work to be recognised in this way, especially in memory of Dev. I was very determined from the beginning. I set out to ensure the changes were made and I guess I just didn't look back and continued with my journey. I'm just really pleased it has got me where we are today, but obviously it comes with the sadness of losing my baby,” she further added.
