A HORROR crash that rocked a community could leave behind a "lasting positive impact", according to Bolton's police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd.

A 12-year-old boy spent months in hospital after the smash involving two cars racing each other in St Helens Road during Ramadan in July 2013.

The devastation left 11 people injured and resulted in the drivers being jailed for six-and-a-half years between them.

Bolton Council of Mosques decided something needed to be done to educate young people about dangerous driving and launched a Drive Safe Campaign with Bolton Council.

Part of the work has seen five crash demonstrations staged at different mosques in Bolton.

Mr Lloyd, who attended a meal and presentation on the project, said: "This is a hugely positive idea and reaches out to lots of different people who may not at one stage have seen themselves as partners.

"It's sad on one level that it took a serious road traffic collision to give it that focus.

"But from the tragedy people have tried to build something that is better and will have a lasting impact.

"There might be a young man somewhere who does not drive recklessly because of this.

"There might be someone walking the streets who gets home safely because of that.

"We don't know who these people are. But we know they exist because incidents are going down."

Sufiyan Kala, pioneer of the campaign at BCoM and creator of the video "Race With No Winners", said the issue needed to be tackled.

He said: "This is not exclusively a problem with Asian men but with the Asian community there is the desire for cars and they save up for them and want to show them off.

"In their eyes they are not being nuisances but they are.

"And during the Ramadan month they were out causing carnage, which is against all the values of the Muslim community."

Steve Parkinson, station manager at Bolton Central Fire Station, said the focus of these messages was not restricted to the Asian community, and that they had also performed demonstrations to potential young drivers at the University of Bolton and Bolton College.

Inspector Paul Rowe, of the serious collision investigation unit, said: "It has been a pleasure to be part of this operation and everyone has been so positive.

"A road fatality does not affect just one family, but friends, relatives and probably three generations of that family."

Cllr Nick Peel said: "Whose responsibility is to reduce road traffic collisions? The police, fire or the council?

"The answer is all of us. Everyone has the responsibility to do what they can in terms of educating high risk groups."