DOE TV campaign features true-life road tragedies

It’s not just those seriously injured or killed on our roads whose lives are changed forever in a crash - everyone suffers.

This is the message of the latest road safety television campaign, “Crashed Lives”, launched today by Environment Minister Edwin Poots.

The advertisements feature two true-life accounts of road death - the stories of ‘Jamie’ and ‘Kevin’ as told by their devastated mothers.

The Minister said: “The devastating consequences of road collisions have far-reaching effects on family, relatives, friends, work colleagues and whole communities.

“We are privileged that these brave mothers have chosen to tell their heartbreaking story in the hope that they can prevent other families’ suffering in the same way.

“They are ordinary people like you and me. Their emotion is raw and their pain is very real. They each tell how their lives have been destroyed, in various tragic circumstances, and how road collisions have changed their lives forever.”

Kevin McChesnie (17) from Newtownbutler was a passenger in a car, driven by a teenager over the limit, involved in a single-vehicle collision on the Newtownbutler-Clones Road in County Fermanagh in the early hours of Saturday morning, 2 August 2008. He died later from his injuries in the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen. His mother, June, issued this warning: “Don't be drinking and driving, don’t put your mother through what we’ve been through and what we’re going through, don’t ever do that. My message is if you go out driving over the limit, you’re breaking the law and you know what can happen and that’s not an accident in my eyes – it’s not. “

And she revealed: “A lot of Kevin’s friends, if they were going out, they call up here and they would give me their car keys and say “You keep them, I’ll get them tomorrow.”

Jamie Millican (21) was driving on Ballyhackett Lane, Castlerock, on 28 March 2009, when he was killed in a car crash. There were no other cars involved. Jamie was a Learner driver with a provisional licence and was speeding. His mother Elaine still struggles to come to terms with her loss.

“Believe me, I know the heartache. I would never ever want a family to go through what I’ve gone through. It really hits you when you’re sitting at home at night-time on your own. I do a lot of breaking down on my own. Everyone’s life comes crashing down. I never realised it would affect as many people as it has,” she said.

Mr Poots implored young drivers especially to heed these messages: “These mothers stories are the stories behind the headlines. They don’t want other families to suffer crashed lives after losing a loved one on our roads. Their bravery in speaking out highlights the common dangers we all face on the roads.

“We all make choices and we all have influence. If you take risks on the road, you take a chance with your life, your passengers’ lives or the life of another innocent road user."

A third advertisement is based on the experiences of local driving champion Colin Turkington who warns of the dangers of speed on public roads.

Speaking at the launch Colin warned: “I know the difference between being on the race track and being on the real road. That’s why my advice to drivers is – keep your speed down on the road. At speed, you never know what will happen next. One mistake - and you’ve no chance. Believe me, on the track and on the road, safety always wins.”

The “Crashed Lives” television adverts will initially run from 9 January to end of February 2010.

Notes to editors:

1. The new DOE Road Safety adverts were launched by Minister Edwin Poots on 8 January 2010 at 11.00am in the Europa Hotel, Belfast.
2. For media enquiries please contact DOE Press Office 028 9054 0014 or out of office hours, contact the EIS Duty Press Officer on pager 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.