Wareham mother’s plea over drink drive statistics

The number of arrests during Dorset’s seasonal crackdown rose by almost 50 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

Debbie Orchard’s 24-year-old son Richard died last June after his motorbike struck a stationary vehicle. He was over the drink-drive alcohol limit.

Seven months after Richard’s death, Debbie is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her second eldest child.

She told the Daily Echo: “One moment of madness ruined our lives and I know that if my son knew what we are all living with every day he would never have got on that bike. People think it won’t happen to them but it does.”

The mum-of-five from Wareham said she was “so disappointed” by the latest drink-drive statistics, adding: “It makes me very sad that the message just isn’t getting across. If they can’t think of themselves then they should think of their loved ones who are left to cope when that awful knock comes on the door.

“I still can’t believe Richard has gone. I lie awake nearly every night, thinking about him. He shared a room with his brother and the house is full of so many memories. It’s still very raw.

“I feel a bit like a robot but I have to go on for the sake of my four-year-old grandson and the grandson who was born just four weeks after Richard died. It’s what my son would have wanted.”

Fighting back tears, Debbie said: “Despite what some people say it doesn’t get any easier. When teatime comes I still expect Richard to walk through the door. We were just a normal family, you read about things like this in the papers.

“I’ve discovered that the reality is so much worse than you can ever imagine.”

l Four of the 18 fatalities on Dorset’s roads during the past year were drink or drug-driving related. There were 133 arrests during the drink-drive campaign from December 1 until January 1 – 48 per cent more than the previous year’s figures.