A 50-year-old woman in England has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after crashing a car full of teenagers while speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Faye Dawson lost control of a Vauxhall Corsa on Delphouse Road in Cheadle on March 7, 2025, according to Staffordshire Police.
Prosecutors said Dawson was driving at 80 mph—20 miles over the speed limit—just before the crash. She was also on the wrong side of the road.
Five teenagers, aged 14 and 15, were inside the car at the time.
Dashcam footage released by police captured the moments leading up to the crash. In the video, the teens can be heard screaming and begging Dawson to slow down.
Instead, Dawson made alarming statements about her driving.
“I am a rally car driver and a bitch,” she told them. “You get in here with your life.”
She also warned them: “Are you buckled in? Because if you die, I am not responsible for you.”
At one point, she admitted to drinking and smoking before getting behind the wheel.
“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,” she said in the footage.
The crash left four of the five teenagers injured. One girl suffered a spinal fracture and required hospital treatment.
In a victim statement, the teen said she believed she was going to die.
“I thought I was going to die,” she said. “I feel very anxious in vehicles. I have nightmares and flashbacks.”
She also said she experienced back pain for six months and had to take time off from school to recover.
Dawson later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on March 25.
In addition to her prison sentence, she was banned from driving for four years and seven months.
PC Luke Randall, who led the investigation, said Dawson’s behavior put lives at risk.
“Dawson’s actions were reckless and selfish, and this custodial sentence reflects that,” he said.
Authorities say the case highlights the dangers of reckless driving and the consequences of ignoring repeated warnings from passengers.
Dawson is now in custody as she begins her sentence.
