Dashcam footage: watch the moment this drink and drug driver crashed in Crawley and caused life-threatening injuries

Police said David Head from Haywards Heath had consumed wine and cocaine when he got behind the wheel of a Renault Megane on August 29, 2020.

Police were called to the scene of a crash in Breezehurst Drive shortly before 9.40pm.

Head was seriously injured, and his two passengers were seriously injured as well, said police, adding that one of the passengers was lucky to survive.

Inside the car, police said they identified a dashcam, which showed the vehicle driving at almost 75mph in a 30mph zone.

Police said the dashcam also showed dangerous overtaking, driving through red lights, and the vehicle mounting the kerb.

PC Christina Lane, from the Sussex Roads Policing Unit (RPU), investigating, called the footage ‘shocking’.

“The driving was dangerous from the start of the journey until the crash, and included driving at grossly excessive speeds throughout,” she said.

PC Lane continued: “The expert witness we used from Road Safety Support who examined the footage calculated the journey included speeds of 74.5mph in a 30mph zone in the moments prior to the car losing control and crashing.

“There were several near misses with other vehicles and the vehicle is even shown to mount the pavement and central reservation on a dual carriageway.

“That mounting of the pavement early on in the journey should have been warning enough, but Head continued to drive, eventually crashing into a garden wall and leaving his front seat passenger with near fatal injuries.

“The risk to other members of the public on the roads was astounding, it’s a miracle there weren’t more victims of Head’s recklessness.”

Police said that Head told officers at the roadside he had consumed a bottle and a half of wine before driving.

Tests also showed he had taken cocaine, they said, adding that his blood was tested, revealing that Head had 159 milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of blood.

The legal limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Police added that Head also tested positive for 176mg of cocaine per 100ml of blood, and that the legal limit is 50mg per 100ml.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “Head, 42, of Colwell Road, Haywards Heath, previously admitted drink driving and drug driving at a hearing before Crawley Magistrates’ Court in relation to the same case on September 4 last year.

“At the time he was sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work, 25 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) sessions, £85 court costs and a £95 surcharge. He was disqualified from driving for 28 months.

“Then last week, Head appeared before Lewes Crown Court on January 6 where he admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

“The judge said the offence was so serious that only an immediate prison term could be justified.

“Head was jailed for two years and seven months and his driving disqualification was extended to three years and three months to reflect the time he will serve in prison.”

PC Lane said: “Head put his own life, the lives of his passengers and the lives of everyone else at risk when he got behind the wheel of his car.”

She added that RPU officers have been working on a winter campaign to crack down on drink and drug drivers, one of the main causes of deaths and injuries on Sussex roads.

PC Lane urged passengers who are worried about drink or drug driving to ask the driver to stop or tell them that they do not feel comfortable in the vehicle.

She advised people to remove themselves from the situation or call police from inside the car to prevent a serious collision.

Anyone with information about someone drink or drug driving can call 101 or make a report at www.sussex.police.uk.

People can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.