The parents of a Bath hairdresser who was killed in a crash on the A46 have called for the speed limit to be reduced on the accident blackspot.
Yasmin Richards, 21, died last November when her Ford Ka was involved in a head-on collision on the Hartley Bends just north of the city.
Her parents Helen and Paul were at her inquest today at the Coroner's Court in Flax Bourton and questioned why that stretch of road, which has seen a high number of serious and fatal accidents in recent years, is still 50mph.
Mrs Richards, 47, said: "Yasmin didn't know that road well and she would have had no warnings of what was ahead until she came across the bends.
"From everyone we have spoken to about this, it is obvious that the road is too fast. No matter what signs were there, she wouldn't have known to slow down because of what was ahead on the road.
"Clearly a lower speed limit would mean you would have more control and if in any way it prevents someone else having an accident, then obviously this needs to be done."
The couple said that people who regularly use the road know to slow down, but to an inexperienced driver like Yasmin, who usually caught the train to Bath, it would have been impossible to know how difficult the bends were to negotiate.
Assistant coroner Dr Peter Harrowing echoed their concerns and said he would be writing to the Highways Agency, the body responsible for that section of the A46, to ask them to investigate whether more safety measures, including lowering the speed limit, was needed.
He said: "As well as considering Yasmin's death today I have a wider public duty to prevent further deaths and I have listened to what the family have said and what one of the witnesses has said in his statement.
"I cannot comment on the number of road traffic collisions which have occurred along that stretch of road.
"However, what I do intend to do is to exercise my authority to write to the appropriate agency, which I believe to be the Highways Agency, to ascertain from them whether there's anything further that can be done in relation to the road markings, the speed limit or any other way that carriageway can be altered to prevent any further accidents."
The Highways Agency is currently installing new warning signs around the Hartley Bends, but has repeatedly refused calls from the local community to reduce the speed limit.
The inquest heard that Yasmin, who lived in Alveston in South Gloucestershire and had recently started working at Artizan hairdressers in Bath, lost control of her car while driving southbound towards the city.
An investigation found that three of her tyres were badly worn and under-inflated which police believe caused her to swerve and then over-correct her steering, meaning she crossed over into the path of oncoming traffic on the bends.
Ian Marris, who was driving the Range Roger which hit her, told officers he had no way of stopping in time or moving out of the way before the collision.
He also said in his statement: "There have been a number of serious and fatal collisions and I feel strongly that the speed limit is too fast and needs to be reduced."
The inquest heard that it was likely that both drivers were travelling under the 50mph speed limit and that toxicology reports had shown Yasmin did not have any alcohol or drugs in her system.
PC Chambers, from Avon and Somerset Police's collision investigation unit, said: "I believe the crash was caused by a combination of lack of experience, the condition of the vehicle and the speed she was travelling through the bends."
Speaking after the inquest Mr and Mrs Richards, who attended with a number of Yasmin's family, said their daughter was a cautious driver as she had undergone a serious operation on her spine when she was younger as a result of suffering from the condition Scoliosis.
They said they had been heartened by the tributes to their daughter, including the comments from her colleagues at Artizan at the time of the crash, and the 500 people who attended her funeral.
Mr Richards, 48, said: "She was just so full of life and she really lived her life to the full. She loved working in Bath and was so happy in her new job, doing exactly what she loved."
His wife added: "She was such a positive person and overcame this horrible operation, which never stopped her from doing anything."
The family are now raising money for the spinal research team at Frenchay Hospital, where Yasmin was treated, in her memory.
