Poignant song recorded to make anti drink-drive message hit home

A Thousand Tears, penned by Brighouse musician Roger Davies, paints a vivid picture of loss after a loved one has died in a car crash.

The song, which was commissioned by Kirklees Road Safety Partnership, features shocking facts and statistics against a backdrop of our district’s roads.

Kirklees District Commander Chris Kirby said: “Christmas is a time for reflection and when we think of those we have lost. Every year, firefighters must deal with the horrific consequences of fatal road crashes which have resulted from irresponsible driving and drink and drug driving.

“This song is very moving, so we hope it will make people take notice and think before getting behind the wheel.”

According to police statistics, 189 people were arrested across West Yorkshire for drink and drug driving related offices during December last year. Thirty were in Kirklees.

Mr Davis said: “I sincerely hope the people who hear the song will take it on board because there’s nothing worse than hearing about another tragic waste of life.”

The video features hard-hitting facts about road accidents across our district, including:

There were 13 road users killed in Kirklees in 2013. One child was killed and 16 were seriously injured.

Three motorcycle riders were killed. On average, there were three road collisions every day.

Across West Yorkshire, most people who were stopped by police for drink and drug driving offences were arrested between the hours of midnight and 1am on Sunday. The most common age range fort hose arrested was 25-34 years old.