If you’re going to the pub, leave the car at home
CARING Caitlyn Hardy wants no-one to suffer as she has – so is campaigning against those selfish enough to drink and drive.
The 20-year-old’s boyfriend Lewis Knapp was killed by a drink driver in a hit and run in South Shields last April.
Now, she wants “something good to come out of a bad situation”.
Caitlyn has a message for those considering getting behind the wheel after a drink. She said: “Just leave your car at home. If you know you’re going to a pub just leave it.”
It was Caitlyn who approached Road Safety GB (RSGB) to share her story and support their campaign, just as drink-driving cases are expected to rise during the World Cup.
Caitlyn said: “It’s a really bad situation and I just wanted something good to come out of it. I think it’s really important to talk about it. I thought we needed to put our story out there just to raise awareness.”
The 20-year-old joined RSGB and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to talk to students at South Tyneside College on Wednesday.
She hoped the message would get across about the impact drink-driving can have. Caitlyn said: “It’s not just one family it has affected. It’s affected Lewis’s family, my family and his friends. It’s just like a ripple effect.”
Lewis was just 20 when his life was cut short. He died at the roadside after being struck by a car on Anderson Street in the early hours of April 15. His mum Michelle Norton has expressed her support for longer prison sentences for drink drivers.
Michelle said: “From the moment I was told that Lewis had died, I felt like I was living in a bubble, and I’m still in that bubble today.
“The pain doesn’t get any less, but I have learned to take one day at a time. They may not harm themselves, but they could take the life of someone else, and countless people will be affected, including their own family. Nobody wants that on their conscience for ever.” RSGB North East chairman Paul Watson says there is a tendency to see a “big spike” in drink-driving cases during major football tournaments. During Euro 2016, there was an increase in drink and drug driving injuries around the day of all of England’s fixtures, with incidents in the North East rising from 8% of total collisions to 19%. Paul said: “It’s about taking responsibility, we don’t want to be the party pooper. The simple issue is if you don’t drink drive then the chances are you won’t be involved in a crash. Plan your night, be the designated driver, get a family member to pick you up or use public transport.” Connor Emms was driving more than double the 30mph speed limit and under the influence of a cocktail of cocaine and vodka when he hit Lewis and fled the scene. The 20-year-old was jailed for four and a half years and disqualified from driving for three years on January 8.
It’s affected Lewis’s family, my family and his friends. It’s just like a ripple effect Caitlyn Hardy