'Joyriders ploughed into my car - but it saved my neighbours being hit in home'
A student whose car was wrecked after a joyrider ploughed into it has been thanked by her neighbour - as it shielded their home from the crash and a potentially far worse outcome.
Amy Watson, 21, said she woke up to her Audi A3 being damaged on Spring Road, Southampton. The student said she was reduced to tears as this was her third car that had been written off due to reckless drivers targeting her 30mph street. She warned that next time a person could be killed after her neighbour barely dodged the catastrophe.
Speaking about the moment she became a third-time victim, Amy said: "When I woke up on Sunday I was just devastated - I thought 'surely not a third time'. People come down here at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour. There is a bus stop on the stretch of road where my car was parked - if someone was stood there, they would be dead. My neighbour has thanked me for parking my car there, she would have had a car through her living room if mine was not there."
Amy is pleading for Southampton Council to construct speed cameras after witnessing drivers causing mayhem at 70mph speeds. She believes that is only a matter of time before someone is killed on her street. The mental health student, from Solent University, says her road is often disrupted by drivers who use the residential street as a race track. The 21-year-old has seen her Hyundai Getz, Volkswagen Polo and now her Audi A3 wrecked by careless motorists - costing her more than £6,000.
Amy woke up to the distressing crash on Sunday (Solent News & Photo Agency)She first had her Hyundai Getz wrecked in March 2022, before her VW Polo was written off just a month later after both had cost her around £2,000. Her latest misfortune came on Sunday evening when her £5,000 Audi A3 was slammed into. Shocking photos show the aftermath of the crash, with her car somehow ending up on the bonnet of the mangled BMW, despite having been parked.
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As a result, Spring Road was temporarily closed by police and repairs are now ongoing to fix a lamppost that was also hit in the crash. Nobody has been arrested in connection with this incident. Ms Watson added: "I hope the council do something before someone is killed." She further explained that several other cars on the road had also been written off - and has contacted her MP, Royston Smith, about the issue. In response, Mr Smith said speeding and dangerous driving in Spring Road had been an issue for "many years'"
Amy's Hyundai Getz was previously ruined by another motorist (Solent News & Photo Agency)He added: adding: "I have pushed for the council to address these issues over many years and although there have been changes at some of the junctions, the issues have not gone away. I hope this latest accident, which could have been so much worse, will be a wake-up call to the council that they need to undertake a full review of each section of Spring Road to see how it can be made safer." A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: "Works are planned for Spring Road in the vicinity of the junctions with Station Road and Cranbury Road as part of the Transforming Cities Fund Eastern Quietway scheme.
The aftermath of the crash on Spring Road (Daily Echo/Solent News)"This will include new pedestrian crossings and traffic calming measures. It would not be appropriate to comment on any particular accident or attempt to draw any wider conclusions. In accordance with standard practice, if the incident is classed as an injury accident it will be recorded by the police, who are able to carry out a detailed investigation of the incident and can identify any contributory factors. All accident data is reviewed annually and used to identify whether there are any trends which require intervention."
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