On display at the entrance to the Guild Centre in Preston today was a startling reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving.
The Wasted Lives Programme in conjunction with Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety presented a tragic sight, the total wreck of the car driven by 18 year old Matthew Alston one Saturday morning in August 2010.
A quick look at the pictures here will tell you all you need to know about the condition of the car after the accident.
Matthew was killed on the road in Read near Burnley. He was over the drink drive limit the morning after drinking alcohol at a party at home. He died instantly from internal injuries. The occupants of the car Matthew hit, two off duty police officers on their way home, were badly injured and the driver trapped. Not realising it at the time, Matthew was twice over the drink drive limit.
Wasted Lives have been working together with the family of Matthew Alston to show you his car in a display entitled ‘The Night Before …The Morning After.’ A sad reminder that what you see is real. The dangers of drink driving and the effect it can have those involved in an accident like this. The display certainly left an impression with those taking time to have a look and were left in no doubt of the seriousness of drink driving. It shows consequences can and do last forever.
The Wasted Lives Programme, delivered FREE by experienced Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety facilitators, is one full day dedicated to challenging new and soon-to-be young drivers’ attitudes to the risks associated with driving. They’ll develop a better understanding of the potential consequences of taking risks behind the wheel.
For more information about Wasted Lives visit their website here