Young offendergives something back

A YOUNG offender from Warrington’s Thorn Cross Resettlement Prison has been giving talks in secondary schools as part of a Cheshire Police safer driving campaign.
The “Don’t treat your passengers like dummies” campaign encourages drivers to take responsibility for the safety of passengers.
Tom, aged 21, still finds it difficult to talk about the incident which led to his conviction for causing death by dangerous driving.
But he thinks that by giving the talks in schools he is giving something back to others.
He was 18 when he set off on a long journey in icy conditions to run a friend who wanted to visit a family member in hospital.
On a single carriageway road with a 60mph speed limit, he tried to overtake, saw a car coming the other way and over-steered his car.
The vehicle skidded on ice, veered off the road and crashed. His friend was killed outright – despite wearing a safety belt.
Tom said: “I think about what happened all the time and would urge others to use your common sense – don’t think that you can overtake, when you clearly can’t.
“I will obviously be more conscious of road conditions the next time I get in the car, but with a seven year driving ban, I will not be on the road for a while longer yet.”
At the time of his crash, Tom was intending to take Pass Plus lessons to increase his awareness of motorway driving – but never got around to it.
Now serving the last year of his sentence in Thorn Cross Prison, he has had time on his hands to think about his actions. He has undertaken a Restorative Justice/Victim Awareness Course to increase awareness of his actions and the consequences for others.
Because Thorn Cross is an open prison, prisoners have a degree of freedom which allows individuals, following a risk assessment, to spend some time doing voluntary work in the community.
Tom was asked if he wanted to be a speaker for workshops which Cheshire Police run in secondary schools called “Think Drive Survive” and agreed to sign up.
He said: “I was told that there were some talks that I could do, and signed myself up because I don’t want this happening to anyone else.
“The first time I had to speak, my mind went blank and I didn’t know what to say, but a few talks in, I can speak quite openly about the road collision and the consequences that it had on the victim’s family and my own.
“The most common questions that the pupils ask me are: Will you ever drive again? What speed were you doing? How do the victim’s family react towards you.”
Tom never gives the speed he was driving but admits the collision does and always will play on his conscience.
Speaking at the workshops is one way to talk about what he did and serve as a deterrent to others to not make the same mistake.
But he said: “I feel like I am giving something back to others by doing the talks and educating young people about the consequences.
“But for the loss of a life, you can’t give anything back.”
The long term consequences of his fatal accident will be a constant reminder for him, and the victim’s family.
More about “Think Drive Survive” and “Don’t treat your passengers like dummies” can be found at www.upbeat.uk.com or www.cheshire.police.uk