Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick, who caused the crash which killed Arron and Ben, was on his way to Coventry to see his girlfriend after attending a team-mate’s wedding. He was found to be twice the drink-drive limit and Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that he was driving dangerously at about 90mph, on very little sleep.
McCormick admitted causing death by dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol. He was jailed for seven years and four months on 6 October 2008, but will be eligible for parole in three-and-a-half years.
By branding their van’s with Arron and Ben’s story, Kidd's Distribution Services is successfully raising awareness about the devastating effect that drink driving can have on a family.
Staff at Kidd's Distribution Services join Brake, the national road safety charity, to urge all drivers to never drink and drive – not even a drop.
The van is already getting attention. Here is an example from one of our drivers Andrew Kirkwood.
"When driving past a primary school in the Gorbals Glasgow at around 15.00 when all the parents and especially the school kids are there, I noticed nearly every child and parent/guardian taking notice of the safety van. I believe this makes such a big difference and impact as the awareness of road safety must be on all their minds. I can imagine all the parents reminding the kids about crossing roads and the green cross code. This is only one instance that springs to mind, although there have been many others. It's a very powerful and important message and I do believe that over time and with more vehicles attitudes will gradually change. My attitude has dramatically changed and I am the driver of the vehicle."
Managing Director Stevie Kidd also commented.
"I have a son of 10 years of age, so one reason for my passion is that he will be able to take driving lessons within 7 years. I want the road to be safe. At KDS, we are passionate about sharing best practices globally and sharing knowledge. We have many visions surrounding road safety and transport, and want to share best practices and build relationships locally and globally. At KDS we believe this will reduce road deaths and make the roads a better place to be. In only the first few hours of the launch I received excellent feedback from the Netherlands, Togo and the United States of America.
A fantastic opportunity has also arisen with the British/Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell. The Vice president of Royal Dutch Shell has written to KDS to accept our offer to display our road safety vans in the forecourts of all Shell garages within the United Kingdom.
Shell’s generous agreement allows our KDS road safety vehicles to continue to raise road safety awareness in partnership with Brake charity.
We have been surprised by Shell's reaction to our road safety vehicles - who now want to discuss whether to put such messages on their tankers.