So much pain and loss
The recent spate of deaths on our roads has been pretty alarming. I have been saddened by the saga, but as it has continued, I have also felt the beginnings of impotent rage at the problem. Why can’t we stop people from killing each other senselessly on our roads? If these deaths were occurring as a result of anything other than our beloved cars, there would be public outcry and the government would most likely be swift to enact systemic change. Imagine if we had three or four separate fatal workplace accidents or murders around the state in the last week. Well recently within a week, we had three or four fatal car crashes, which produced the same net result, and we seem far too comfortable with it. This many in a week is an unusual spike, but over the last ten years, Tasmania has averaged more than 39 fatalities and 280 serious injuries every year! It is not a new phenomenon. We really need to understand that every time we get behind the wheel we are at the mercy of other drivers, just as they are at ours. In a previous article, I have shown that I am far more likely to be killed in a car crash than in a terrorist attack, so, given there is widespread community concern over terrorism, why is there not a proportionate level of concern at the carnage on our roads? Have we become desensitised or do we just think it is unavoidable?
A gun enthusiast could also ask why the government is not placing more restrictions on the ownership of cars the way they have with firearms (as long as they didn’t mind the idea of potentially giving up their car too). Apart from the fact that most of us would really struggle without a car, the main reason we view these deaths differently appears to be the belief that people don’t choose to kill people with cars the way they do with guns. This is true, but it is a distinction that is largely irrelevant because what people need to understand is that when you drive dangerously, you are choosing to endanger others and yourself.
I am not going to use the term car accident because an accident often carries a connotation that no one is to blame. Barring significant malfunction or unexpected physiological symptoms such as fainting, I believe that every crash is a result of someone making a deliberate choice to do something wrong. Whether it is related to alcohol, fatigue, inattention or speed, these are all choices drivers make. And they’re choices that otherwise intelligent and responsible people make all the time. We can’t just blame kids, criminals and bad drivers when we hear about each new death, as I have been prone to do in the past. Often the people causing these deaths are just taking the same chances many of us take- checking a message, driving a bit too fast or misjudging when to overtake. We (and I include myself in this category) shouldn't kid ourselves that we must be better drivers because we haven't killed anyone when we have made these choices and we should be very careful judging those who have. Most likely we were just lucky. But the more often you roll the dice, the more likely your number is to come up.
What needs to happen to arrest (pun intended) this behaviour?
We could lower speed limits again, although at this rate I will soon actually be in danger of speeding on my road bike. While police statistics confirm that speed plays a part in many crashes, it is often drivers exceeding the posted speed limit. If the dangerous drivers are not going to follow posted speeds, the only thing lowering speed limits will achieve is slowing the rest of us down.
Another response often levelled accusingly at the government is to improve the roads, with the implication being that if more money was spent upgrading the roads, maybe some of these deaths wouldn’t have occurred. While I acknowledge they are well-intended, I get quite frustrated by these calls because they undermine the basic principle of driving to the conditions. The roads in many countries of the world make even our worst ones look positively benign, making a mockery of claims that it is the state of the road that is the cause of the accident. It would seem to me that it is definitely the drivers that are the most dangerous factor.
My kneejerk reaction is to suggest increasing penalties for traffic offenses, but I have to accept that this is more a response of anger than reason. Evidence across a range of issues suggests that just increasing penalties rarely reduces problem behaviours. People aren’t breaking traffic laws because they think they will get caught and don’t care, they are doing it because they don’t believe they won’t get caught.
So does that mean we need more police on the road as both a deterrent and for enforcement? This might well make a difference, but they can’t be everywhere. Once again, this response is taking responsibility away from the individual in control of the car and trying to use more external controls to make up for a lack of individual accountability. Our police force and government need to work within the budget they have. I would be a little concerned with diverting police and government resources away from other important areas just because people are not responsible enough to drive safely on their own.
So if we are worried about the individual behind the wheel, do we need to look at driver training? Perhaps. I can’t speak much for exactly what goes into driver training, but I am not sure that this is the problem either. I know getting your driver’s licence is quite difficult and costly for many young people. Making it even more rigorous is likely to result in more people driving unlicensed. Moreover, the skills and knowledge required to pass a driving test are fairly comprehensive- certainly enough to ensure you can drive safely. What the training and testing can’t really account for are attitudinal factors, especially when every day driving is very different to an assessment scenario.
Maybe I am missing something, but it seems to me that a huge element in all of this is the attitude and personal choice of every driver on our roads. We just don't take our responsibilities as road users seriously enough and that means we are all part of the problem. This is incredibly frustrating because it needn’t be this way, but it is also heartening because we can do something about it. It just takes collective will and discipline.
What if…
So what if everyone took it upon themselves to be part of the solution. What if every time we got behind the wheel of a car we treated it like we were handling a deadly piece of machinery, which it is? What if every driver made their own internal commitment to driving safely? I have spoken about the selfishness of risk-taking behaviour before in relation to drug use, but it is twice as bad whilst driving, because the risks you are taking endanger innocent people. Even seemingly small risks are selfish because they do endanger others.
Don’t think, “I can get away with being a bit over 0.05,” because that is exactly what everyone who has killed someone from drink driving thought.
Don’t think, “I can go a little faster than the speed limit,” because that is what everyone who has killed someone speeding thought.
Don’t think, “I can drive safely while using my phone,” because … I think you get the idea. Anytime you are tempted to assume you will get away with a seemingly innocuous risk, remember how harmless it has seemed to thousands of people who wrecked their lives and the lives of many times that number of innocent victims and their families.
If everyone drove with caution, courtesy and full attention, I struggle to see how we would have more than a handful of deaths every year. Am I being realistic thinking this could happen? No, probably not. Getting every Tasmanian driver to prioritise safe driving to this extent at the same time may sound like a pipedream. But is it possible? Yes it is. Obviously it would be logistically challenging, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible. I realise it would be almost inevitable that bad habits would return over time, but every month that we managed as a state would statistically save another handful of lives.
I don’t intend this to sound sanctimonious or judgemental. I have been guilty of taking many risks myself in the past, but I am making a commitment now that I will improve. I just have to.
Who is going to join me?
A gun enthusiast could also ask why the government is not placing more restrictions on the ownership of cars the way they have with firearms (as long as they didn’t mind the idea of potentially giving up their car too). Apart from the fact that most of us would really struggle without a car, the main reason we view these deaths differently appears to be the belief that people don’t choose to kill people with cars the way they do with guns. This is true, but it is a distinction that is largely irrelevant because what people need to understand is that when you drive dangerously, you are choosing to endanger others and yourself.
I am not going to use the term car accident because an accident often carries a connotation that no one is to blame. Barring significant malfunction or unexpected physiological symptoms such as fainting, I believe that every crash is a result of someone making a deliberate choice to do something wrong. Whether it is related to alcohol, fatigue, inattention or speed, these are all choices drivers make. And they’re choices that otherwise intelligent and responsible people make all the time. We can’t just blame kids, criminals and bad drivers when we hear about each new death, as I have been prone to do in the past. Often the people causing these deaths are just taking the same chances many of us take- checking a message, driving a bit too fast or misjudging when to overtake. We (and I include myself in this category) shouldn't kid ourselves that we must be better drivers because we haven't killed anyone when we have made these choices and we should be very careful judging those who have. Most likely we were just lucky. But the more often you roll the dice, the more likely your number is to come up.
What needs to happen to arrest (pun intended) this behaviour?
We could lower speed limits again, although at this rate I will soon actually be in danger of speeding on my road bike. While police statistics confirm that speed plays a part in many crashes, it is often drivers exceeding the posted speed limit. If the dangerous drivers are not going to follow posted speeds, the only thing lowering speed limits will achieve is slowing the rest of us down.
Another response often levelled accusingly at the government is to improve the roads, with the implication being that if more money was spent upgrading the roads, maybe some of these deaths wouldn’t have occurred. While I acknowledge they are well-intended, I get quite frustrated by these calls because they undermine the basic principle of driving to the conditions. The roads in many countries of the world make even our worst ones look positively benign, making a mockery of claims that it is the state of the road that is the cause of the accident. It would seem to me that it is definitely the drivers that are the most dangerous factor.
My kneejerk reaction is to suggest increasing penalties for traffic offenses, but I have to accept that this is more a response of anger than reason. Evidence across a range of issues suggests that just increasing penalties rarely reduces problem behaviours. People aren’t breaking traffic laws because they think they will get caught and don’t care, they are doing it because they don’t believe they won’t get caught.
So does that mean we need more police on the road as both a deterrent and for enforcement? This might well make a difference, but they can’t be everywhere. Once again, this response is taking responsibility away from the individual in control of the car and trying to use more external controls to make up for a lack of individual accountability. Our police force and government need to work within the budget they have. I would be a little concerned with diverting police and government resources away from other important areas just because people are not responsible enough to drive safely on their own.
So if we are worried about the individual behind the wheel, do we need to look at driver training? Perhaps. I can’t speak much for exactly what goes into driver training, but I am not sure that this is the problem either. I know getting your driver’s licence is quite difficult and costly for many young people. Making it even more rigorous is likely to result in more people driving unlicensed. Moreover, the skills and knowledge required to pass a driving test are fairly comprehensive- certainly enough to ensure you can drive safely. What the training and testing can’t really account for are attitudinal factors, especially when every day driving is very different to an assessment scenario.
Maybe I am missing something, but it seems to me that a huge element in all of this is the attitude and personal choice of every driver on our roads. We just don't take our responsibilities as road users seriously enough and that means we are all part of the problem. This is incredibly frustrating because it needn’t be this way, but it is also heartening because we can do something about it. It just takes collective will and discipline.
What if…
So what if everyone took it upon themselves to be part of the solution. What if every time we got behind the wheel of a car we treated it like we were handling a deadly piece of machinery, which it is? What if every driver made their own internal commitment to driving safely? I have spoken about the selfishness of risk-taking behaviour before in relation to drug use, but it is twice as bad whilst driving, because the risks you are taking endanger innocent people. Even seemingly small risks are selfish because they do endanger others.
Don’t think, “I can get away with being a bit over 0.05,” because that is exactly what everyone who has killed someone from drink driving thought.
Don’t think, “I can go a little faster than the speed limit,” because that is what everyone who has killed someone speeding thought.
Don’t think, “I can drive safely while using my phone,” because … I think you get the idea. Anytime you are tempted to assume you will get away with a seemingly innocuous risk, remember how harmless it has seemed to thousands of people who wrecked their lives and the lives of many times that number of innocent victims and their families.
If everyone drove with caution, courtesy and full attention, I struggle to see how we would have more than a handful of deaths every year. Am I being realistic thinking this could happen? No, probably not. Getting every Tasmanian driver to prioritise safe driving to this extent at the same time may sound like a pipedream. But is it possible? Yes it is. Obviously it would be logistically challenging, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible. I realise it would be almost inevitable that bad habits would return over time, but every month that we managed as a state would statistically save another handful of lives.
I don’t intend this to sound sanctimonious or judgemental. I have been guilty of taking many risks myself in the past, but I am making a commitment now that I will improve. I just have to.
Who is going to join me?