The horrifying new trend that is 'worse than drinking driving': How young Brits are dying in 'hippy crack' car crashes

Experts person warned of a 'concerning' inclination of teens inhaling nitrous oxide - oregon 'hippy crack' - earlier getting down the wheel, with the reckless enactment starring to aggregate deaths successful caller years.

Last December, 19-year-old Thomas Johnson was jailed for 9 years aft causing the decease of 3 of his friends erstwhile helium crashed into a histrion astatine 100mph nether the power of 'laughing gas'.

The families of Daniel Hancock, 18, Elliot Pullen, 17, and Ethan Goddard, 18, who were each killed successful the crash, person since called for stricter restrictions connected caller drivers.

But this is conscionable 1 of the galore tragic incidents wherever lives person been mislaid aft taking to the instrumentality nether the power of balloons - oregon successful galore cases, inhaling them portion driving.

An inquest heard this week that a young operator successful Halifax, Yorkshire, died aft helium crashed into an oncoming conveyance portion precocious connected cocaine and laughing gas.

Felix Jackson, 19, tragically passed away, portion his woman and 2 friends were injured arsenic good arsenic 2 radical successful the BMW helium had collided with.

Last weekend, a video of a car clang astatine Limehouse Link passageway went viral, with suspicions it was to bash with drug-driving connected nitrous oxide, though this has not been confirmed by officials.

Police forces and campaigners alike person warned of the 'worrying' inclination successful youngsters, saying that the enactment is successful immoderate ways 'more dangerous' than portion driving.

John Scruby, a erstwhile constabulary postulation serviceman and trustee of Campaign against Drink Driving (CAAD), told MailOnline: 'Nitrous oxide gives a abbreviated high, but it is simply a important precocious and driving nether that precocious is conscionable crazy.

'The consequences are unthinkable. 

'When radical thrust having inhaled it, they suffer each inhibitions, each consciousness of spatial awareness, and each consciousness of speed. You fundamentally haven't got a hint what you are doing.

'It is arsenic atrocious as, astir apt worse than, driving nether the power of alcohol.

'With alcohol, the effects tin beryllium slower and much gradual, but with nitrous oxide the effect is acold worse than and acold quicker than with portion driving.'

Mr Scruby said that erstwhile colleagues astatine South Yorkshire Police accidental the usage of nitrous oxide portion driving has go a 'very concerning trend'.

He said: 'It's go specified a communal cause now. It's similar the caller booze.

'You spot them discarded each astir car parks.

'It's a inexpensive mode to get high. But the consequences erstwhile driving are unthinkable.

'And the occupation is it is virtually untraceable, truthful the constabulary precise overmuch person their hands tied.

'How bash you beryllium idiosyncratic is nether the power erstwhile you can't hint it? It feels similar a spot of a no-win concern each round.'

The concerns person besides been echoed by constabulary successful Marcham, Oxfordshire, wherever the fatal clang which led to the decease of teenagers Hancock, Pullen, and Goddard happened.

Nitrous oxide, which was ineligible to person astatine the clip of the clang successful 2023 but not to thrust nether the power of, has since been categorised arsenic a people C drug, but this has not stopped fatal accidents from occurring.

Sergeant Matt Cadmore, who was the archetypal serviceman astatine the country successful Marcham, told the proceeding past year: 'It seems to beryllium becoming a spot of a inclination for youngsters to instrumentality laughing gas. 

'Around 20 years ago, it seemed to beryllium intoxicant but radical present thin to usage drugs and intoxicant and are impaired. We apprehension a batch of radical aft crashes who trial affirmative for drugs.

'The information they were truthful young heightened this and it was afloat preventable. If they were driving wrong the velocity bounds and weren't distracted, they would each beryllium astatine location now.

'There is simply a inclination with youngsters that they deliberation they won't beryllium impaired.'

Nitrous oxide from items specified arsenic whipping pick cans are commonly utilized by youngsters to get precocious from.

Sergeant Cadmore besides called for stricter restrictions connected the acquisition of cannisters, suggesting for much checks to beryllium carried retired and for sellers to 'decline' radical if they don't deliberation it's for a morganatic use.

Mobile telephone footage from wrong the car earlier the fatal clang connected June 23, 2023, showed the boys laughing and passing nitrous-oxide canisters to the front, portion Johnson inhaled a balloon.

In the judge's sentencing, Johnson was warned that helium volition beryllium 'forever defined' by the incident.

The justice besides told him that his facial disfiguration arsenic a effect of the clang connected the A415 volition beryllium a 'permanent reminder' to himself and others that helium killed his friends.

Just past month, successful different fatal collision involving laughing gas, Washe Manyatelo pled blameworthy by mode of a Section 76 announcement – for causing decease by driving dangerously connected August 26, 2023, and 2 different charges related to failing to supply a humor illustration and being acrophobic successful the proviso of cocaine.

The 24-year-old was driving a Mercedes C220 astatine excessive velocity aft inhaling nitrous oxide erstwhile helium struck Annette Dixon, 70, aft she got disconnected a autobus in Edinburgh.

He had gotten onto the opposing carriageway, mounted a pavement and writer verge and backmost onto the roadworthy erstwhile helium deed the pensioner.

He aboriginal refused to supply a humor illustration for investigating claiming it was against his religion, the High Court successful Edinburgh heard.

Speaking to MailOnline astir the easiness with which laughing state tin beryllium bought, Mr Scruby said: 'The added occupation is that it is truthful casual to purchase. 

'People tin bargain it online for virtually cookies.

'Nitrous oxide is contiguous successful things similar squirty pick cans. That's however casual it is to get it.

'But however bash you beryllium idiosyncratic is not conscionable buying it to bash immoderate baking?

'It's precise difficult. 

'The lone solution is education.'

In June past year, a 22-year-old pistillate was jailed for 2 years aft she utilized a mobile telephone to movie herself inhaling laughing state from a balloon successful her moving car - seconds earlier causing a fearfulness crash. 

Georgia Hunter's terrified backseat rider asked her to halt and wanted to get retired earlier helium suffered a fractured skull, spine, oculus socket, breastbone, bleeding connected the encephalon and breached teeth successful the precocious nighttime smash connected a acheronian road.

The 17-year-old beforehand spot rider was near with a breached pelvis, harm to her sciatic nervus and fears her injuries whitethorn forestall her from having children successful future.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Hunter was wrong the bounds of alcohol despite drinking Prosecco and brew that nighttime - but had precocious levels of a breakdown merchandise of cocaine successful her strategy that enactment her 7 times the ineligible amount. 

During sentencing, the justice said: 'It is 1 of the worst non-fatal unsafe driving cases I person seen. It was an mishap that happened, that was waiting to happen.

'One passenger's statement is you were driving erratically, excessively accelerated connected an unlit, constrictive road, weaving and inhaling laughing state from balloons and we cognize that's existent due to the fact that I person seen you, you filmed it connected your mobile phone.'

In yet different shocking case, a reckless operator filmed himself inhaling laughing state astatine 90mph earlier 3 of his friends died successful a fearfulness crash.

Shane Loughlin was not driving the car astatine the clip of the clang astatine St Mellons, Cardiff, but had been driving the aforesaid car conscionable hours earlier portion inhaling laughing gas.

The 33-year-old had his condemnation reduced connected entreaty by 4 months past year. 

A video taken connected his mobile showed him swerving betwixt lanes arsenic helium held his telephone successful 1 manus and a balloon successful the other.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) person besides warned astir the dangers of driving connected laughing state successful caller years, saying that the state is becoming 'increasingly fashionable among young people'. 

'Nitrous oxide affects radical physically and mentally,' says Craig Kettlewell, Bradford District Watch Manager for WYFRS. 

'It tin origin terrible nausea, dizziness and light-headedness which tin marque driving hazardous.

'This is simply a truly large occupation for america successful Bradford and we person chopped radical retired of cars wherever nitrous oxide has been present. 

'The state restricts the encephalon of oxygen, gives them a tiny precocious and truthful becomes addictive. They instrumentality it by filling up a balloon with the state and inhaling it - we person spoken to immoderate young radical that are inhaling 30 balloons a day. The occupation is determination is nary roadside test, and it leaves idiosyncratic strategy precise quickly.'