Mother's Loss Inspires Kelly's Law in Western Australia

When Susan T'Hart saw the woman charged with killing her daughter driving again just two months after the fatal hit-and-run, her grief turned into action that will protect countless families across Western Australia.

Her daughter Kelly, 32, was killed by a drunk driver in 2024. Kelly was the kind of person who stopped to help injured animals on the roadside, making the cruelty of being hit and left alone even more heartbreaking for her family.

But the pain deepened when Susan spotted the accused driver behind the wheel again while court proceedings were still ongoing. The woman lived less than a kilometre from Susan's home, just 200 metres from where Kelly had lived.

Working alongside Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby, Susan helped create new legislation that parliament will receive on Tuesday. The bill, named Kelly's Law in her daughter's honour, will extend mandatory licence suspensions from two months to three and expand the list of offences that trigger automatic suspensions.

Most importantly, courts will gain new power to suspend licences until cases are fully resolved. Previously, only limited drug and alcohol offences qualified for mandatory suspension, allowing accused dangerous drivers to return to the roads while awaiting trial.

The new rules will apply to all drink and drug driving charges, reckless and dangerous driving, high-level speeding, and hit-and-run offences. Minister Whitby said the change simply makes sense, since convicted drivers will eventually face much longer suspensions anyway.

Why This Inspires

Susan T'Hart transformed unimaginable loss into meaningful change that will echo across her state for generations. Rather than letting her grief consume her, she channelled it into protecting other families from experiencing similar trauma.

Her courage to advocate publicly while still mourning shows the power of one person's determination to create good from tragedy. Kelly's legacy will now live on every time a dangerous driver is kept off the road, potentially saving lives that might otherwise have been lost.

Susan hopes Kelly's Law will become a greater deterrent and encourage drivers who make mistakes to stay at the scene and render assistance. She carries the added sorrow of never knowing her daughter's last words, something that could have been different if the driver had stayed to help.

The woman charged in Kelly's death has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol and faces sentencing in April.