Widower Kim Inglis urges young drivers to be safe on SA roads
KYM Inglis’s life changed forever when he lost his entire family in a car accident four years ago — now he wants to pass on his shocking experience to young drivers.
ONE of Kym Inglis’ most treasured possessions is a note from his eldest daughter saying she loved and missed him.
Ten-year old Claudia left a note on the fridge for her father on the morning of January 12, 2010, which simply read: “Dear Dad, Missing you already, don’t miss me too much, love Claudia,” it read.
Hours later, Mr Inglis learned that his wife Melania, 40, daughters Logan, 7, and Claudia and her friend Georgie Pearce, 10, had all died in a car crash near Williamstown in the Adelaide Hills.
Mrs Inglis and the girls were on their way to a hairdressing appointment in Lyndoch when their car collided with a four-wheel-drive.
Mr Inglis said an unknown moment of distraction caused the crash which shattered his life.
“I remember walking in (to his house) that night and one of the first things I saw was a note from my eldest daughter ... it is one of my most treasured possessions,” he said.
On Tuesday, Mr Inglis spoke of the tragedy to Year 11 students at Westminster School as part of the Metropolitan Fire Services’ Road Awareness Program to encourage safe young drivers.
For the first time in 2014, the program has been expanded to include a separate talk for parents. It includes the same confronting crash videos and advertising videos.
Mr Inglis has since started a new relationship and become a father again, but he said it was weeks like this — when his eldest daughter would have turned 14 — that the memories were heaviest on his mind.
“I still quiver, the whole thing has just been on my mind for the last few days,” he said after his talk.
“Talking about it is good for me as well and I’m a firm believer that it’s such a tragic event and it would just be such a shame that something positive couldn’t come out of it.”
He said he hoped his experience would discourage the teenage crowd to be more careful when they were driving.
MFS station officer Chas Thomas, who co-ordinates the road awareness program, said the parent sessions were aimed at expanding the reach of their safe driving message.
He said since 2010, the number of 16-19 year olds killed on SA roads had dropped from 19 to just two.
“What we are finding is that parents need to take a leaf,” he said.
“It’s the exact same presentation so they know what their kids can expect ... we want them to be empowered and motivated too.
“We don’t hold back, we show exactly what we see on the roads on a daily basis.”
Westminster School Year 11 students and L-plate drivers Liam Porter, 16, and Olivia Roberts, 16, found the presentation powerful.
“I think it was very good of him to be able to do that. His story really hit home,” Liam said.
“That was really hard to listen to but it was really relatable so he made it seem more real rather than the film clips that were shown from around the world,” Olivia said.