A DRIVER paid with his life after breaking every rule in the book at the end of a night out, an inquest was told.

Welder James Billington, 20, collected his car from home after drinking at least eight pints of lager and three alcopops.

He drove to playing fields where he and his friend smoked a cannabis joint and, after dropping the friend off, drove at excessive speed and without wearing a seat belt.

And a police expert said that given the eventual impact speed of between 15 and 30mph, Mr Billington could have escaped without injury had he been wearing his seat belt.

"It seems terrible that this young man should forfeit his life through such abject stupidity," said coroner Michael Singleton.

"He drank to excess, smoked cannabis and then drove at excessive speed without wearing a seat belt. Had he been wearing a seat belt not only would he not have been killed but his injuries would only have been superficial. As it was the consequences were horrendous and the distress caused to his family and friends incalculable. It seems to me to be such a tragic waste and the only hope is that out of this young man's death someone somewhere will think twice about getting in their car and, having got in, will use their seat belt," added Mr Singleton.

The inquest heard that Mr Billington, who lived in Blackburn Road, Darwen, with his parents Winnifred and John Billington had gone to a pub in Waterside where he had met up his friend James Bolton.

In a statement read to the inquest Mr Bolton said that Mr Billington drank two pints while they were there and then took his car home.

The friends, former pupils of St Bedes High School, Blackburn, then got a taxi into Blackburn where they drank in several town centre pubs before going to Utopia nightclub. Mr Bolton estimated that his friend drank a further six pints of lager in the pubs and three alcopops in the club.

They got some food in Darwen Street before taking a taxi back to Darwen, where Mr Billington collected his car keys. He then drove to Sett End playing fields where they parked and smoked a joint.

Mr Bolton said he had been dropped off at about 3.15am. Just before 4am paramedic Hugh Moores was in an ambulance travelling along Goose House Lane when they came upon a car on its roof, embedded in a fence near to Darwen Roadstone. He could find no signs of life in the driver, Mr Billington.

Accident investigator police sergeant James Boothby said he calculated from skid marks on the road that Mr Billington's vehicle would have been travelling at a minimum of 43mph when it had gone sideways shortly after a right-hand bend.

The car hit the kerb side on and Sgt Boothby said that given the speed at the time of impact there would have been no problems if Mr Billington had been wearing his seat belt.

A post mortem examination revealed that Mr Billington died as a result of a head injury and Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death.