Phone-drive plea from man whose partner was killed
A man whose "life was completely shattered" when his wife and unborn child were killed by a dangerous driver has urged people not to use phones at the wheel.
Calvin Buckley's partner Frankie Jules-Hough, 38, died when she was hit by a man filming himself at 123mph.
Mr Buckley is backing a campaign highlighting the dangers of driving and using phones.
"When you take your eyes off the road anything could happen," he said.
Adil Iqbal, who was 22 when he hit Frankie Jules-Hough's car on the M66 in Bury after losing control of his own vehicle, is serving a 15-year jail term for causing her death.
The 38-year-old had pulled over on the hard shoulder with a flat tyre.
"Two people lost their lives as a result of someone using their phone while driving, and to put it simply my life was destroyed," Mr Buckley said.
“I lost my partner and the chance to become a father."
'Devastating incidents'
The campaign by Transport for Greater Manchester is focused on crackdown on distracted drivers as part of a wider goal to eliminate all death's on the region's roads by 2040.
Provisional data by the Department for Transport showed 138 people were killed or seriously hurt in crashes in Greater Manchester where the driver being distracted was a contributing factors.
Of those, 23 people died in collisions where the driver was using a mobile phone.
Supt Gareth Parkin from Greater Manchester Police said using a hand-held mobile phone while driving could result in a £200 fine, licence points, or a driving ban.
“We have seen some devastating incidents over the years which has significant impact on families, please don’t be the reason why you are the one that prevents someone from going home to their loved ones.
"Even hands-free options can be distracting, so ask yourself whether the call can wait."
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