UlsterNet.co.uk

Dangerous driving message hits home

Thursday, 19 January 2012

John and Diane McCracken, parents of the late Shannan McCracken, tell of their devastation when their daughter crashed and warn other road users.

A NEW radio and television advert campaign 'Crashed Lives' features heartbroken Aghadowey parents Paul and Diane McCracken speaking about their devastation of losing their teenage daughter Shannan in a car accident.
The adverts, which are to raise awareness of dangerous driving, hear the stories of four Northern Ireland families desperate to get their message across to help save others from death and serious injury.
Dalriada student Shannan McCracken tragically lost her life on June 24, 2009 after her car struck a tree on the Bann Road, Ballymoney. She was the only person in the car.
Shannon who was due to celebrate her 18th birthday, had been an 'R' driver and was returning home from a night at the cinema with friends.
Police checks on Shannan's mobile phone showed it had been active up to the time of the crash.
In moving footage, her mother Diane and father Paul say: "When Shannan died part of us died with her...you never think this is going to happen to you. Young people need to know that they are not invincible. It can happen to them. You need to be ready for the unexpected."
Diane describes her late daughter as "just beautiful". Admitting that Shannan had been driving "too fast" and that there was a "lot of activity" on her phone, Paul said: "The hardest part for me was standing at our gate watching as our daughter came home in a hearse."
Diane adds: "We'll live with the aftermath forever."
The DoE launched the adverts last Thursday which also feature those who have been brain-damaged or left paraplegic by accidents on our roads.
Already this year, there have been two deaths on our roads. A total of 59 people lost their lives on Northern Ireland's roads in 2011.
Minister Alex Attwood said: "Brave individuals and families have chosen to tell their heartbreaking story in the hope that they can prevent other people suffering in the same way. I am enormously grateful that they have told of their experience - I hope it is widely heard.
“They are ordinary people, like you and me. Their emotion is raw and very real. They each tell how their lives have been altered, in various tragic circumstances, and how road collisions have changed their lives forever.
“The over-whelming consequences of road collisions have far-reaching effects on family, relatives, friends, work colleagues and whole communities."
Mr Attwood urged young drivers especially to heed these messages, he said: "These stories are the stories behind the headlines. They don't want other families to suffer tragically changed lives after losing a loved one on our roads - nor others to endure such life-changing injuries."
The Crashed Lives campaign will initially run until the end of next month.

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