A heartbroken widow has paid tribute to her dad-of-two husband who was killed by a drink driver. Mark Osborne, 48, of Mansfield Woodhouse, was killed when his motorbike was clipped by a swerving van on the A60 Mansfield Road, between Papplewick and Arnold, in July last year.
The driver Julieanne Walsh, then 32, of Abbott Road, Mansfield, was sentenced in June to five years in prison for causing death by careless driving when she was over the drink drive limit. Clair Osborne, 48, recalled the shocking moment police officers arrived at her house to tell her Mark had been killed.
“I was on the phone to my daughter and there was a knock at the door. It was police officers and they told me Mark had been killed on his motorbike," she said.
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“I wouldn’t believe them. I said ‘it can’t be him – you must have it wrong, I was on the phone to him an hour ago’. But they had his driver’s licence and they were absolutely certain it was him. That was it – our whole world just stopped.
“If you asked anybody to describe Mark they would say he was a lovely bloke, who just wanted to make everybody laugh. He was a fantastic dad. That has been the biggest impact this has caused – my two children worshiped him and he would do absolutely anything for them.”
Clair is now supporting a new campaign launched by Nottinghamshire Police to deter people from drink-driving. More than 2,000 posters and 5,000 beermats educating road users on the consequences of drink-driving have been distributed to pubs all over Nottinghamshire as part of the campaign, with similar messaging running on the back of Nottingham City Transport buses.
With Christmas parties taking place over the coming weeks, Clair encouraged people to plan how they would get home if drinking alcohol. She said: “If you’ve got work dos or have got Christmas parties planned, that’s the key word – they are planned. Plan your taxi, plan your lift home. If you’re driving and anybody tries to tempt you to have a drink, just ask yourself is it worth it?
“I have to see what it’s done to my children every day because someone decided to drink-drive.” The legal alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, which equals a different amount of drinks depending on the individual.
“Even if it’s just one drink, that’s too many,” Clair said, urging people to not risk drinking at all before driving. “If you are driving, you don’t have a drink – that should be the approach. There are plenty of alternatives now, such as non-alcohol beers, so don’t be the person who just has the one and then gets in a car and that’s it – you’re responsible for destroying a whole family. Don’t be the person responsible for that.”
Nottinghamshire Police will hold a series of roadshow events to engage with the public and highlight the dangers of getting behind the wheel when over the limit. They have also said they will conduct a widespread crackdown to target those who choose to drink or take drugs and drive.
Inspector John Lees, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Driving after drinking can have devastating consequences and can easily result in a loss of life. All too often we attend road traffic incidents which have life changing impacts on families.
“Please think about your drinking behaviours, particularly over the festive period. Please keep yourself, your family and others safe. Please make it your rule: If you have had a drink, don’t drive.”
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