Greg Murphy tells of crash wake-up call

MAARTEN HOLL/The Dominion Post

STAY SAFE: Greg Murphy talks to Rongotai College pupils about dangers they may face while driving.

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Watching his terrified girlfriend try to scream as he crashed after a drinking binge when he was a youth was a wake-up call that changed his life, racing car driver Greg Murphy says.

He lost control of the car, flew down a bank and hit a tree. His girlfriend broke her collarbone, but Murphy and a friend escaped uninjured. The crash changed his attitude toward cars and driving.

"I remember looking at my girlfriend and her breath had been sucked away. She was trying to scream but nothing was coming out. It was terrifying. The whole incident gave me a hell of a fright. It changed my attitude."

Murphy passed his experiences on to pupils at Wellington's Rongotai College yesterday to deter them from making similar mistakes.

He spoke to the pupils about how young drivers can improve their driving skills and stay safe on the road, including having respect for other road users, being aware of what's on the road, driving to the conditions and in-car distractions.

The crash still haunted him today, he said. "It was bloody stupid and I feel embarrassed looking back at what I did. I could have killed someone. I could have killed myself. My mum was crying for two days."

He had been drinking for two days while catching up with some friends who were home from university. One of his friends was tired and asked for a ride home.

"I stupidly said yes. We had had a couple of big days drinking and I was fatigued. All of a sudden the car hit some shingle on the side of the road and I lost control. We spun, shot down a bank and smashed into a tree. The noise when we hit the tree was deafening. I never want to experience that again."

Murphy was breath-tested by police but was not over the limit.

"Drinking and driving is absolutely ridiculous. It's not cool. You are not impressing anyone."

Murphy is fronting the Motor Trade Association's Eliminate the Risks programme in schools around the country an attempt to curb unnecessary road accidents in the age group most at risk – young drivers.

Rongotai College pupil Henry Williams, 17, said Murphy's message had left an impression. He had just got his learner driver's licence and was shocked to learn about the dangers of driving with bald tyres.

"I had no idea it could make such a big difference. That kind of stuff, you are just not told about.

"Listening to Greg has been an eye-opener. It will certainly make me more aware of the dangers when I am driving."

- © Fairfax NZ News