Appeal by loved ones of road victim Lewis
CAMPAIGN TO KEEP ROADS SAFE AS FIGURES SHOW DRINK AND DRUG-DRIVE CASUALTIES ROSE AROUND EURO 2016 FIXTURES
The heartbroken family of a Boldon man who was killed by a driver who had been drinking and taking drugs have backed a campaign to keep the roads safe during this summer’s World Cup.
Twenty-year-old Lewis Knapp, from Boldon Colliery, died on Good Friday of last year after being run over by Connor Emms, who had been drinking and taking cocaine.
Now his mum Michelle Norton and girlfriend Caitlyn Kelly arw backing Road Safety GB North East (RSGB NE) in urging people to leave their car keys at home before going out drinking during the World Cup, which kicks off in Russia next week.
The move comes as new figures show drink and drugs were involved in 218 injury road accidents in Sunderland – including one fatality – between the end of 2013 and start of this year, and 487, including 20 fatalities, in County Durham.
RSGB NE is being joined by police and fire crews from across the region, as well as Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool football clubs, as it aims to reduce alcohol and drug-related road casualty figures during the World Cup, when alcohol consumption is expected to sharply rise.
The campaign kicks off at South Tyneside College today, where Caitlyn will be talking to students about the dangers of drink/drug-driving.
Emms, 21, of Sycamore Avenue, South Shields, did not have a driving licence and was driving at more than twice the 30mph speed limit when he hit Lewis, catapulting him over the car. Emms did not stop and Lewis died at the scene from multiple injuries.
He later handed himself into police when the alcohol had been eliminated, but the cocaine remained. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, drugdriving, failing to stop after an accident, having no insurance and driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.
He was jailed for four-anda-half years and disqualified from driving for three years, with an extended period of two years and three months.
“We cannot bring Lewis back, but if we can help prevent the same thing happening to someone else, then we will do anything we can to show how drink and drug driving wrecks lives,” said Michelle, from Boldon Colliery.
“We know more people will be drinking and going out having a good time during the football, but they must think about the consequences of driving under the influence.
“People should avoid having even one drink. They may feel OK, but they are not.”
Michelle said her sheet metal worker son, who worked at Washington Metal Works, was her life. She said: “The pain doesn’t get any less, but I have learned to take one day at a time. I get a lot of comfort from going to the memorial garden that his friends have set up for Lewis, and we talk about him all the time, which helps. There is a huge hole in my life that will never be filled, and that is what people should think about before they decide to drink and drive.
Caitlyn, from South Shields, who was with Lewis at the time he died, said: “We are supporting this campaign because we want people to think about what they are doing and the impact they could have on so many people.”
During the Euro 2016 football fixtures, there was an increase in drink and drugdriving injuries on the day of, and the day following, all of England’s football fixtures, with incidents rising from 8% of total collisions to 19%.
And, while drink and drug-drive casualties have fallen by 7% over the five years from 369 in 2013 to 345 in 2017, the number of people killed or seriously injured has increased sharply by 40%, from 58 in 2013 to 81 in 2017.
RSGB NE Chairman Paul Watson said: “What happened to Lewis is heartbreaking.”
He added: “The decision by Emms that night to drive took just a split second, yet the consequences of it will go on for a lifetime. We thank them for helping us raise awareness.”
He added: “Do not drive under the influence; the impact can be devastating.”
Chief Inspector Dave Guthrie, of Northumbria Police’s Motor Patrols Department, said: “The message of this campaign is very clear – if you are having a drink, then don’t drive.”
“There is a huge hole in my life that will never be filled”
MICHELLE NORTON