Mother’s support for Sussex Police’s summer road safety campaign
Main article content
The mum of a boy who was tragically killed by a dangerous driver has shown her support for a Sussex Police summer road safety campaign.
Throughout July, officers from Sussex Police are joining forces across the UK to shine the spotlight on the “fatal five” factors which are considered the main causes of serious injury of fatal collisions on our roads.
These factors are dangerous or careless driving, driving while distracted such as by using a mobile phone, drink or drug-driving, driving at excess speed, and not wearing a seatbelt.
Harry Dennis was just 11-years-old when he was involved in a collision with a scaffolding lorry at Hooe, East Sussex, on December 15, 2022.
The lorry driver had failed to secure the load being carried, and a scaffold board became loose before striking through the windscreen of the vehicle Harry was travelling in, causing fatal injuries.
His mum Maria Dennis is now supporting Operation Spotlight, Sussex Police’s campaign to improve road safety and catch offenders who pose a risk to themselves and others on the roads.
She said: “I received a call from my husband that Harry had been in a collision and the air ambulance was on its way.
“My brain froze. I had no idea what had happened. I was in pieces and felt like my whole world had been flipped upside down.
“Harry was a whirlwind, he loved his sport. From the moment he could move he was climbing and jumping off things. He loved being outside, loved seeing his friends and playing football, and he loved to make everyone laugh.
“A scaffolding board came off the scaffold truck through the windscreen of the car and struck Harry. There was nothing they could do to save him.
“It was completely avoidable. It didn’t need to happen.
“My message to drivers out there is this, before you get in the car, think about Harry, not just Harry. It happens all too often. There’s far too many families that have been broken by this.
“Do you want to be that person that destroys those lives? That takes away whatever future that person had?
“How can you live with that? For the sake of putting your phone down, keeping the load down, or sticking to the speed limit?
“You think ‘it won’t happen to me’. But I am living proof that it does happen. People need to think about what they are doing.”
Historically, July sees the highest number of people killed and seriously injured on the UK road network. As part of ongoing work to tackle this, forces across the country have joined the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) campaign Operation Spotlight to make our roads safer for everyone.
Operation Spotlight highlights the dangers and consequences of the four biggest contributory factors in collisions - driving under the influence of drink or drugs, mobile phone use, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt.
Officers in Sussex are carrying out increased proactive patrols across the county to deter and catch offenders, to prevent serious collisions before they happen and ultimately save lives.
Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “Operation Spotlight is not just a month-long campaign, we police our roads 24/7, every day of the year, and offenders should expect to face robust action where they ignore the law and neglect the safety of themselves and others.
“Our roads are busier in the summer due to holidays and days out, plus an increase in vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, so this is all the more reason to drive safely and be more vigilant.
“We consistently see a rise in fatalities and serious injuries through these months with on average more than 2,700 people killed or seriously injured each July over a five year period.
“Tragically in Sussex last year 45 people were killed after being involved in a collision on our roads.
“We know that so many of these collisions are easily preventable, and reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads is a priority for Sussex Police.
“This has devastating consequences for families such as Maria’s.
“We want to prevent other families having to experience the same heartache, and this operation gives us the opportunity to focus our efforts on both educating and engaging with road users as well as stopping offenders.”