A man paralysed from the waist down after an accident caused by his careless driving plans to become a road safety motivational speaker.

Jason Minors, 36, wants to talk to schoolchildren about the importance of safe driving and help others through traumatic experiences.

Mr Minors said: “I want to be able to talk more about my situation and be able to help others and educate others the best I can.”

He added: “I have a saying, ‘I either let it make me or break me’.

“When it came to this crash, I definitely said ‘I’m going to let it make me’.”

Mr Minors, who was 23 at the time, said his life changed for ever after a horrific motorcycle crash in May 2006.

The former runner from Hamilton Parish was on his way home from a Sunday church service when he tried to catch up with other high-speed riders.

Mr Minors was thrown off his bike and slammed into the kerb after he swerved to avoid an oncoming van.

He broke his spine in the accident, which happened only minutes from his home, and was told he would never walk again.

Mr Minors said: “Being confined to a wheelchair at the age of 23 was a hard thing to accept.

“At that age it was definitely something I didn’t expect.

He added: “As the years went on, I found that it was still hard because of the different health issues that would come up like bed sores and infections.

“I was on antibiotics and in and out of the hospital for more than five years.”

Mr Minors admitted it took him a decade to come to terms with his plight.

He explained that a daily routine of exercise, cleaning his house and speaking at his church helped him to cope.

Mr Minors added that disabled-friendly sports like wheelchair basketball and archery became an outlet for his love of sport.

He said: “That was one thing I learned — there are other sports out there for people in wheelchairs that they can still do and remain active.”

Mr Minors has already given talks at several schools about his life and the potential consequences of carelessness on the roads.

He has also written a book on his recovery called Life Changes, which he published in 2017 and has sold more than 300 copies.

Mr Minors plans to give more speeches at his church, Brighton Hill Church of Christ in Devonshire, to become more comfortable with public speaking.

He hopes to work his way up to speeches at schools and the Bermuda College.