Mother of fatal crash victim joins seatbelt crackdown in Pelsall

Amar Atwal was in the rear of his relative's car when it was hit by a taxi in West Bromwich in May 2015.

The youngster died from serious head injuries after being thrown from the vehicle, because he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time.

His mother, Sukhi Atwal, joined traffic safety officers yesterday as part of a week-long crackdown, catching motorists not wearing seatbelts as they passed Pelsall Common.

The location was chosen because Amar went to school nearby at Queen Mary's Grammar School, and enabled officers to pull over drivers breaking the law.

Unmarked police cars and a police bike were used to spot those not wearing seatbelts, who face a fine of £100 for every person in the car not buckled up.

A special 'safety seat bridge' informing parents of the correct booster seats for children and how these should be buckled up was also available at the roadside, and has been taken into schools as part of the ongoing campaign.

Speaking yesterday, Mrs Atwal, 50, from Great Barr, said: "No other parent or family should go through that pain of losing their loved one like we have.

"If he had been wearing a seatbelt he would have been here. He would have had injuries but he wouldn't have lost his life."

"Today is about bringing the message home to make sure all passengers and the driver are wearing a seatbelt, and the importance of it. It saves your life."

Sukhi explained that Amar had been with her husband's niece and son when their Mitsubishi Outlander was struck by a taxi in Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich.

The cab driver caused the collision after shooting across a give-way junction and was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Alongside Sukhi was road safety community officer and CMPG special constable for the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) Clive Broadhurst, who has been there throughout the tragic circumstances of Amar's death.

"I attended the crash where Amar was killed and I attended the three days in court, and I was there for the sentencing," he said. "I'd already started a seatbelt campaign with the safety seat bridge before that.

"I've been to several road collisions where people have been seriously injured or killed as a result of not wearing a seatbelt. And I've been to others where cars have been extensively damaged and they've got out with just shock because they've been wearing a seatbelt."

He added: "There is a 50 per cent more chance of dying in a collision if you don't wear a seatbelt."

Also at the roadside crackdown and stressing how seatbelts can save lives, was traffic sergeant Andy Webber, who said: "There are people that will automatically and instinctively put their seatbelt on every time they get in the car. It's a habit.

"But we see people that aren't wearing their seatbelts, because that's their habit.

"We have accidents every day, but instead of people getting out of them feeling a bit sore or aching from their seatbelts, we have somebody who has suddenly hit the windscreen. Perhaps they've lost sight in an eye because they've smashed the windscreen.

"We've even had people being ejected from their car.

"All of a sudden the injuries are far more serious. They could be life-changing and regularly fatal.

"It does surprise me that people still don't wear seatbelts, because the legislation has been around for over 30 years."