A DRIVER who caused a head-on crash near Cirencester has made an emotional plea with motorists to think twice about speeding, after he met the emergency service crews who saved his life.

Michael, speaking anonymously, was close to tears at the launch of a road safety campaign at Cirencester Fire Station, as he recalled how his decision to overtake on the A433 between Tetbury and Cirencester, led to the collision in October last year.

The 40-year-old was full of remorse as he explained how the crash has left him with long term psychological damage and, more than a year on, he is still recovering from the physical injuries he sustained.

Michael said he was late to work for a new job in Cirencester and made the fateful decision to overtake a number of cars, reaching speeds of between 70-80mph when he smashed head-on into an oncoming vehicle.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

The driver of the other car miraculously escaped with a minor hand injury but Charlie and Ed, paramedics from Great Western Air Ambulance, spoke about saving Michael’s life and how they feared he might lose both his legs after breaking around 30 bones in his body.

Michael was sharing his story to help raise awareness of BRAKE’s national road safety campaign, this week.

He said: “By speeding you have little control over your vehicle, which is a powerful and dangerous machine.

“You have less time to think, let alone react, and neither do other drivers who are impacted by your actions. Speed definitely kills, I know because I knocked on death’s door.

“I made a very bad decision to speed and overtake, if I’d just been sensible I’d have remained in a chain of cars and just been 20 minutes late for work.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

“Instead I’ve spent more than three months in hospital and I’m lucky to be walking, let alone have legs or be alive.

“I’m not a criminal at heart but one split second has caused a lot of chaos and I’m eternally grateful to the emergency services.”

Cotswolds farmer Adam Henson, who is fronting this year’s campaign, said: “It’s extraordinary that three people die every day on Britain’s roads and the statistic is that six in 10 fatal crashes happen on rural roads.

“I lost a very good friend of mine near to home, one of my daughter’s friend’s died and a member of our staff died on a rural road.

“They say there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing and I don’t think there’s such thing as bad roads just inappropriate driving.”

Stuart Edgar, county chief fire officer said: “Michael’s is a very brave story and I think he’s been very courageous to come forward.

“He knows what he did on that day was wrong. It clearly isn’t worth going out there and speeding.

“We are grateful for him sharing his story because it comes from the front line, it’s a real story.

“The important message is that you can’t turn the clock back.”

Supt Tony Godwin of Gloucestershire Police, said: “Last year around 25,000 drivers were detected speeding in Gloucestershire, that’s about 70 drivers every day putting themselves and others at risk.

“Please think about your speed, not just because it’s an offence to exceed the limit, but because speeding or inappropriate speed causes needless crashes, untold suffering and stops people living safe and healthy lives.”