A GRIEVING dad wants to use the wreckage of the car in which his 15-year-old son suffered fatal injuries as a stark warning about the consequences of irresponsible driving.

Amjad Malik is planning to tour schools, mosques, youth centres, and madrassas with the smashed-up Volkswagen Golf to underline his hard-hitting message.

His son, Saliq, a keen footballer, suffered serious head injuries when the car, in which he was a passenger, went out-of-control at speed and hit a parked car, a lamppost and a wall, in Gilpin Street, Barkerend, Bradford, in September last year.

Saliq died in hospital later that day.

Since his son's death, Mr Malik has been campaigning to end the high death toll among passengers of young drivers, and in December he organised a road safety event in memory of his son.

Last week, an office base for the campaign, Consequences of Careless and Reckless Driving, was opened by Bradford East MP Imran Hussain. The event was attended by traffic police officers, local councillors and other bereaved families.

Mr Malik, 38, of Eccleshill, Bradford, said the office would be used as a meeting place for families and to give advice to grieving relatives, as well as being the hub for the campaign.

He is planning to go into all kinds of educational establishments and youth community centres to speak to young people.

"I want to give them an awareness about reckless driving, and the aftermath when somebody dies in a car accident. We want to reach out to the kids from our own personal experience. I am going to contact schools as soon as they open after the summer."

Mr Malik hopes that the showpiece of his tours will be the damaged car in which Saliq died, so that young people will be able to see at first hand the tragic evidence.

The damaged car is still a major piece of evidence in the police investigation into the accident, but Mr Malik has been told officers will support him in using the vehicle when it is released.

He said: "At the moment the car is a police exhibit, but I have been told it will be no problem to use it at a later stage. I want to leave the car in schools for a few days so the kids can look inside and see what it is like after an accident and imagine themselves in that situation.

"We aim to reach different communities and I hope the car will become the showpiece of the campaign to save lives."

Mr Malik said opening the office was a big step forward in the campaign, and other bereaved families were joining it.

Labour MP Mr Hussain said: "I have assured Mr Malik of my support. If we can save just one life, it will be worth doing.

"Mr Malik has had to deal with tragic circumstances, but has used it to campaign for others, which is a really brave thing for any individual to do. He clearly has the passion to try to educate other young people."

Sergeant Carl Quinn, of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team, which has investigated the accident, said: "We are supportive of Mr Malik's actions and will do what we can to assist him in getting his message across.

"Statistics from the Casualty Reduction Partnership show that serious injury or fatal collisions are up in West Yorkshire, and there is an issue of anti-social driving in Bradford.

"Part of our job is to reduce serious or fatal collisions within Bradford and West Yorkshire. Any initiative to help reduce road casualties is something we are keen to support."

* An 18-year-old Bradford man has been charged with causing Saliq's death by dangerous driving. He and five other men are also charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. They are due in court next month.