Shocking video of car crash which killed 12-year-old boy released in seat-belt awareness campaign

A mother has allowed horrifying footage showing the moment her 12-year-old son died in a a car crash to be released as part of a seat belt awareness campaign. Amar Atwal was killed after the Mitsubishi Outlander he was sat in the back seat of collided with a taxi in Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich, in May 2015.

Amar, who was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, suffered serious head injuries after being thrown from the vehicle. The cab driver responsible for the collision, having sped across a 'give way' junction, was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Working with West Midlands Police, the boy's mother, Sukhi Atwal, has given permission for the video to be released as part of a week-long campaign to highlight the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.

As well as speaking at several schools across the West Midlands area, Atwal will also be joining traffic officers at roadside checkpoints to urge motorists to make sure all passengers wear seat belts and that youngsters are safely strapped in.

Atwal said: "We will never get over the loss of Amar; he was such a bright, intelligent, fun-loving boy. He was an innocent victim of the crash and there is now a huge hole which can never be filled in our lives.

"Wearing a seat belt could have saved his life... at the very least it would have given him a better chance of survival.

"We can never get Amar back – but I just hope by encouraging both young and old to try and be as safe as possible they won't have to go through the heartbreak we have."

West Midlands Police Special Constable Clive Broadhurst said: "I regularly go around schools to give road safety advice and urge pupils to be strapped in...it can prevent serious injuries or even save your life.

"It has been the law for more than 30 years to wear a seat belt and only takes a few seconds to buckle up – but it is still surprising the amount of people who don't.

"It is very brave of Sukhi to share her experience and hopefully it will hit home how wearing a seatbelt can make a difference. She doesn't want any other family to suffer the heartbreak she has had to endure."