Two friends who were not wearing seatbelts died in a “catastrophic” crash after the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle and steered his car into oncoming traffic.

Daniel Horton was driving at a minimum speed of 70 to 80mph when his BMW collided with a silver Ford travelling on the other side of the A355 – which has a 60mph speed limit.

Neither Mr Horton nor his friend, Aaron Savin, both 21, were wearing seatbelts when the car crashed in the dark country lane at about 10.30pm on November 11, an inquest heard today.

Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court was told that the young men died from their injuries sustained in the road traffic collision.

Mr Horton, of Hillside Road, in Marlow, was a self employed gardener and Mr Savin, of The Bramblings, in Amersham, was an apprentice mechanic. The pair had been friends since childhood.

Stephen Moffat, collision investigator, told the court that neither of the front seatbelts had been used in the car that Mr Horton was driving, but due to the “catastrophic” damage to the vehicle he was “sceptical the seatbelts would have been much use”.

However, he still stressed the importance of wearing a seatbelt when in a vehicle.

When police arrived, the BMW was facing the direction of Amersham and the Ford was directed towards Beaconsfield.

Although not discussed at the inquest, previous reports stated that the man and woman travelling in the Ford were both in their sixties and were left in a “serious but stable” condition following the crash.

Mr Moffat said: “Daniel and Aaron sadly failed to survive the collision partly because of the age of the vehicle they were in.”

The inquest heard that the Ford provided better protection to its occupants than the BMW.

Mr Moffat said he believes the BMW was travelling at a minimum of 70 to 80 mph on the wet road.

He referred to the statement of a woman who was travelling in the opposite direction to Mr Horton that rainy night.

In her statement she spoke of a speeding car going “whoosh” past her, adding that she had “never seen anything like it”.

However, Mr Moffat said he cannot know for certain that the car the witness alluded to was the same one that crashed moments later.

He said: “The world seems to be stacking up against Daniel,” adding: “In another world if Daniel had survived then the Crown in a case against him would call this witness and get her to take to the stand infront of a jury.”

Mr Moffat said that Mr Horton might have had a lot on his mind which could “have had an effect on his concentration levels”.

When asked why he thought the young man might have taken his car on the wrong side of the road, Mr Moffat said that the bend of the carriageway “caused him to lose control” and crash, adding that it was “unfortunate” timing the Ford was travelling in the opposite direction at that moment.

Parents, Julie and Mark Horton and Erica and Andrew Savin, released a joint statement paying tribute to their loved ones.

The statement read: “There are no words to describe the shock and devastation we feel in tragically losing our beloved sons.

“They were both very special, unique in their own way and beautiful young men who had so much to give. Life will never be the same without Daniel and Aaron; they have left a massive hole in our lives.

“We miss them more and more every day, their contagious laughter, their cheeky smiles, the chaos they brought into our lives and the enthusiasm for life they both had.

“Daniel and Aaron had been mates since they were 12 years old. They had a true friendship bond and they stuck together, not only has each family lost their precious son we have also lost his wing man.

“Once again we would like to thank all Aaron and Daniel’s friends for their dignified presence, kindness and support, together with all our families and friends.”