Speeding campaign targets young male drivers as number of road deaths in Manchester rises

Published date13 September 2021
Publication titleManchester Evening News: Web Edition Articles (England)
It encourages drivers, especially young men, to slow down and save lives, and features emotional personal accounts of the devastating impact of car crashes.

Research shows that most young men believe the “worst-case scenario” is a speeding ticket.

A series of videos puts the spotlight on how dangerous acts, such as speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol, have far-reaching consequences.

Dee and Dean Wilson speak about the trauma of losing their 21-year-old son Matt in a crash in 2011.

Mrs Wilson, from Stockport, said: “You’ll never know what it is like to lose a child until you lose a child.

“When you turn that key, you are in charge of something capable of taking a life.

“Not only your own as the driver, but other people who may be walking, or other drivers too.

“People say it is one of the worst things that can happen to a person, so how awful would it be to know that you caused that kind of pain to somebody

“You shouldn’t be texting on your phone or doing any of those silly things. Please take driving as a serious thing to do as the consequences are huge.”

On average, 681 people have been killed or seriously injured on Greater Manchester’s roads each year over the last five years.

Last year, 67 people died, the highest number over the five-year period, with 54, 50, 50 and 63 deaths recorded in the years 2016 to 2019 respectively.

Pc John Durham, a family liaison officer at Greater Manchester Police, said: “You never, ever get used to the reaction of telling somebody that their loved one is dead...

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