Two young men, both high, were killed when their wildly speeding Renault Clio hit a church wall and crashed. The whole incident was recorded by the passenger, and was released at the request of the young mens’ families. It’s sobering and disturbing.
The two men, driver Kyle Careford, 20, and Michael Owen, 21, were driving in the Sussex, UK countryside at night, after having taken what’s been described as “a cocktail” of prescription and illegal drugs. The driver had no license, and was uninsured to drive the car, and, of course, was very inexperienced.
The video shows the pair driving at speeds up to 90 MPH, though dark streets, around other traffic, and with little regard for the terrain or anyone else on the road. The passenger did eventually appear to become alarmed by the speed and lack of control, telling the driver to “slow down, slow down” just before the wreck.
The phone continues recording after the wreck, where you can hear a woman asking if anyone was still alive inside the car. It’s chilling, and a pretty grim warning.
The owner of the car, Michael Owen, had a five-year-old daughter. The families justify their release of the footage of the April wreck, saying
“If all this stops one person from making the same mistake, then some good has come from showing this video. I’m hoping it will have an impact on young people and make them see that a bit of fun can have such devastating consequences.
“I would like all the young people out there to take notice and realise that you are not invincible and take seriously how precious your lives are to yourselves and others. I want young drivers to consider how much devastation it causes to the families and loved ones that are left behind.
“Watching the video was very upsetting, but I’m hoping it can be used in a positive way, by showing young people what could happen to them.”
And, it is a good reminder. I’ve been guilty of driving too fast and recklessly, but I’ve been lucky. Driving fast is fantastic, but it belongs on a track, and videos like this prove why far better than anything I could add.
Everyone please be careful out there.
Contact the author at jason@jalopnik.com.