Opinion: Grieving father says we need to change the way we think and drive

Barney Wakes-Miller was tragically killed in crash in 2020. The driver was drunk and inexperienced. His grieving father says people need to do their bit to “speak up and step in” to stop more road deaths.

A drunk driver killed my seventeen-year-old son Barney Wakes-Miller in July 2020. Barney’s death was no accident but an act of vehicular homicide.

Barney’s vehicular homicide highlights massive deficiencies in how the police and the judiciary handle road crime and how members of the public have a moral duty of care to ‘speak up and step in’ to stop this happening.

The driver escaped with a non-custodial sentence and a 12-month driving ban … The lack of justice is hard to contend with, let alone explain to our other children.

I said soon after that “there was no deterrent aspect at all to the sentence. Worse, it may even encourage young men to repeat the drinking, speeding, showing off aspects of the offence safely in the knowledge that they will likely avoid jail and, in a practical sense, avoid any sort of punishment.”

Duncan Wakes-Miller, whose son Barney died in car crash, pictured. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Barney Wakes-Miller.

Society has successfully changed conventional thinking about behaviours that endanger lives. Dangerous and impaired driving must become a social anathema, like domestic violence has.

We can make the reckless and wilful neglect of human life inherent in dangerous driving socially unacceptable. Consider how attitudes have shifted on sexual and domestic violence and fatal coward-punch assaults.

The impact of impaired driving creates a ripple effect, a trauma tidal wave claiming innocent lives and shattering families.

Getting tough on deliberate high-range speeding and impaired driving is not an attack on the vast majority of safe road users, it is a necessary measure to protect everyone on the road. We all can and must speak up, step in, and take action whenever we witness wilful acts that are a danger to life.

Cultural shifts require collective effort and vocal advocacy. Just as campaigns have educated us on seat belts and the dangers of smoking we need sustained campaigns to highlight the social unacceptability of dangerous driving.

Duncan Wakes Miller is calling for change. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

This means integrating these messages into our media, schools, and daily conversations. We should amplify the voices of those who have suffered turning their stories into powerful catalysts for change.

We must support legislation that enforces stricter penalties and effective rehabilitation for offenders. This includes preventive measures, increasing random breath tests, and investing in technology that prevents recidivist drunk driving.

It’s about creating a society where getting behind the wheel while impaired or driving aggressively is as socially unacceptable as any other violent act. A culture where every driver understands their responsibility to others, ensuring that our roads are safe for everyone.

My petition link: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=j4ejhDHPyA4V0lK0gAXpjg