A drunk driver told a van full of terrified teenagers “I am not responsible if you die” as she sped at 80mph moments before a violent crash that left one girl with a fractured spine.
Faye Dawson, 50, made the chilling threat to her five young passengers, aged 14 and 15, before losing control of her Vauxhall Corsa on Delphouse Road in Cheadle, Staffordshire. Dashcam footage captured her boasting “I am a rally car driver and a b****. You get in here with your life,” and admitting: “I am not a safe driver. Right now, I am on alcohol and have had a smoke, so I am even more f***ing dangerous.”
At Stafford Crown Court, Dawson, of Nicholson Road, Cheadle, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and disqualified from driving for four years and seven months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.
‘I genuinely believed I was going to die’
Judge Richard McConaghy told Dawson: “Your appalling arrogance caught up with you.” The court heard how, on the evening of 7 March 2025, Dawson had picked up the group of teenagers in the Boundary area of Cheadle to drive them to Meir, Stoke-on-Trent.
Instead, she embarked on a drive of extreme recklessness. Travelling on the wrong side of the road, she failed to slow for roundabouts and narrowly missed parked cars in a residential area, all while significantly exceeding the 60mph speed limit. The children could be heard shouting “slow down, slow down” before the car eventually veered off the road, hit a verge and rolled, trapping the occupants inside.
Four of the five passengers were injured. One girl suffered a spine fracture and was hospitalised. In a victim impact statement, she said: “I felt trapped and terrified. I felt powerless. I remember screaming. I genuinely believed I was going to die. I have suffered flashbacks and panic attacks.” She added that she had to live with back pain for six months, needed time off school, and now feels very anxious in vehicles.
Remorse and a lifetime ban from driving
Robert Holt, defending, said Dawson had become a recluse since the crash, exacerbating her post-traumatic stress disorder. “She will never drive again, such is the traumatic effect of what took place. She feels genuine remorse and empathy with the people in the car that night,” he told the court.
PC Luke Randall, who led the investigation for Staffordshire Police, stated: “Dawson’s actions were reckless and selfish, and this custodial sentence reflects that.” The court was reminded that dangerous driving carries a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, and a driving ban. The presence of child passengers is a significant aggravating factor in such cases.
The crash occurred on a stretch of Delphouse Road that forms part of a junction locally dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous junction” due to a history of accidents linked to misleading signs and faded markings, though the court focused on Dawson’s specific behaviour as the cause of this incident.
