WITH yet another speed related road death on Bolton’s roads and with a view to ending them once and for all, it’s got to be worth knowing about RoadPeace - the national charity for road crash victims and Vision Zero. Maybe advise of them in the driving test.
RoadPeace was created in 1991, by Brigitte Chaudhry after her son, Mansoor, 26, was killed by a red light offender, and Vision Zero, a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic, was created and approved by the Swedish government in 1996.
The problem we have, especially with young men, is their testosterone makes them want to drive fast. Indeed there are many messages that encourage them to do so. A study in America, after looking at 192,892 speeding tickets, found a large increase in the average speed of drivers who received them on the weekends after the film “Fast and Furious” was shown. We also have video games.
A far more influencing message came from one time Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson. Using his motoring column in The Sun (2001) he ‘preached’ — “Speed is good. Speed is right. Speed works. Telling us not to speed is like telling us not to breathe.”
On the ‘good’ side, former Formula One champion, Damon Hill, (he made a career out of racing at speeds of up to 200mph) is an advocate of slower driving, claiming the motorway speed limit should be cut to 55mph.
Speaking in 2012, about the Government’s plan to raise the motorway speed limit from 70mph to 80mph, he said:"‘Most people aren’t safe to drive over 55. Honestly, the speed limit going up to 80mph makes me shudder."
A consequence of consuming ‘fast and furious driving messages is, the top five speeding offences:-
Of her son’s death, Brigitte Chaudhry said: “Mansoor was my only son, a gifted and beautiful person, with his whole life before him. He suffered a horrific death at the hands of a consistent offender, who was not made accountable.”
Given we have the technology that can eradicate terrorist strongholds, why isn’t it being used to eradicate death/terror on our roads?
Allan Ramsay
Radcliffe
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