A mother whose daughter was killed by a drink and drug driver has said the alcohol limit for motorists needs to be zero after the Government proposed a reduction in its road safety strategy.
Claire Reynolds’ daughter Sharlotte Naglis, (6), a pupil at St Anne’s Primary in Brown Edge, died when John Owen’s car mounted a pavement and struck her in Stoke-on-Trent in June 2021.
He was found to have had twice the legal limit of cocaine and alcohol in his system and was jailed for more than six years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Under the Government’s strategy launched on Wednesday, the drink drive limit would be reduced from 35 to 22mcgs per 100ml of breath.
But Ms Reynolds told BBC Breakfast: “I think it needs to be zero – zero tolerance and that’s it. You don’t have alcohol and drive.”
She said that alcohol affected every person differently, adding that it could depend on factors such as whether people had eaten or their weight.
Since her daughter’s death, Ms Reynolds has also been campaigning on a change to the law over testing the blood of people suspected of drink and drug driving.
Her proposed change, known as Sharlotte’s Law, which has been included in the Government’s strategy, would allow suspects’ blood to be tested without consent following a fatal incident.
Owen was injured and in a coma for 11 weeks following the crash under the current law his blood could not be tested without his consent, despite it being able to be taken without it.
Sharlotte’s law seeks a change to the Road Traffic Act to allow this.
Ms Reynolds, from Stoke-on-Trent, told the BBC that more people needed to think about what could happen if they drink any alcohol before driving and how the potential consequences affect families.
“It’s not just the life they take – it’s my life, it’s the family’s lives,” she said.
“I struggle every day, I struggle so much with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], depression, anxiety and my life is not the same.”
Owen, who was 46 and living at The Square, Oakamoor, at the time, was jailed for six years and two months in October 2022.
David Williams, Stoke North MP, posted on social media: “I’m pleased to confirm that Sharlotte’s Law is being included in the Government’s new road safety strategy.
“This is an important step forward — but it is not the final one.
“When I was first elected, I promised Claire, Sharlotte’s mum, that I would do everything I could to help change the law so no other family would have to endure the pain her family faced. “This moment belongs to Claire and her family. At the most devastating time in their lives, they chose not only to seek justice for Sharlotte, but to fight for other families too.”
He said the next stage was a public consultation, and it was vital that people took part.
“Public support now will help ensure this change becomes law,” he said.
Sharlotte’s law was taken to Parliament by former MP Jonathan Gullis who presented a petition of 5,825 names calling for change in the law to allow “reform … the Road Traffic Act .. and remove the requirement for consent for the testing of a suspect’s blood in the event of death by collision with a motor vehicle.”
Mr Gullis himself posted: “I am truly delighted to see Sharlotte’s Law included in the Government’s road safety strategy.
“While it is not yet law and will first go to public consultation, which I urge everyone across Stoke-on-Trent to take part in, this represents a hugely significant first step. It offers the chance to create a lasting legacy for Sharlotte and to give victims’ families, like Sharlotte’s brave and inspirational mum, Claire, the answers and sense of closure that are so often denied when unimaginable tragedy strikes.
“My heartfelt thanks go to Claire for her strength, courage, and willingness to share her story and her pain.
“I was incredibly proud to work alongside Claire during my time as the local MP to campaign for Sharlotte’s Law.”
He thanked former “Sentinel” editor Marc Waddington and former “Sentinel” reporter Hannah Hiles for their “tireless work” in highlighting the case and helping to keep Sharlotte’s story in the public eye, as well as Stoke-on-Trent City councillors from across the political divide who unanimously called for the introduction of Sharlotte’s Law, as well as his successor, David Williams MP, for continuing the campaign following his election.
He wrote: “His behind the scenes work has been important in getting the Government to this point, and he deserves real credit for that effort.”
