A mum whose 11-year-old daughter is "lucky to be alive" after being hit by a car while on her bike is calling for lower speed limits.

Gracie Maddox suffered nine broken ribs, a punctured lung and a punctured spleen after she was knocked off her bike by a car going "at about 40 miles per hour" on the Fleet Estate in Dartford.

Her skull was also fractured in two places and there was pressure on her brain.

A year after the crash, Gracie's mum, Jessica, has thanked the air ambulance service for its efforts while calling for roads to be made safer.

She also issued a warning to parents and children about the dangers of riding a bike without a helmet.

"Gracie was stationary on her bike [when she was hit] but she wasn't wearing a helmet," Mrs Maddox said.

She admitted a doctor had told her that, at the speed the car was travelling, a helmet "wouldn't have made much difference," but stressed the importance of wearing one.

As well as the emergency services, Mrs Maddox also praised her neighbour, Keren Pitty, a nurse who rushed to Gracie's aid after she was hit.

"She saved my daughter's life," Mrs Maddox said.

Gracie, now 12, is about to finish her first year of secondary school. Her mother said her progress has been "amazing".

Since the incident, Mrs Maddox has supported a Dartford-based campaign to impose 20mph speed limits on 'high-risk' roads across the borough.

"Something needs to be done," she said, adding that the police officer investigating the incident had suggested Gracie had not been the only victim of road accidents in the area.

For the first anniversary of Gracie's accident, Mrs Maddox has organised a fete to celebrate the first responders who helped save her daughter, with all proceeds going to the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust.

Gracie's Fun Day will be held at Fleetdown Community Centre On Tuesday, June 26, at 3.15pm until 5.30pm.