Comment 70906

By mystoneycreek (registered) - website | Posted October 26, 2011 at 15:45:11 in reply to Comment 70886

The motorist death rate has been going down, not by admonishing drivers to be more careful, but mostly through policy and engineering changes:

"This success is attributed to improving the design of vehicles and roads and focusing on legislation, enforcement and sharing of information about the use of seat-belts, helmets, and child restraints and about the dangers of speed and drink-driving."

Unfortunately, the pedestrian death rate has not decreased significantly, but there are also policy and engineering changes that could make a difference.

I'll tell you what definitely haven't been a factor in reducing the motorist death rate: ongoing training and testing.

Part of the arrogance attached to driving is very much aligned with the 'right, not privilege' notion: 'I passed my test, I'm set for Life!'

Considering what's at stake, this is, to put it bluntly, shite.

We're moving these huge beasts of steel and glass around at speeds most people simply do not appreciate, and there's very little competency out there. Functionality, yes. Competency? No. And the really sad thing is that once tendencies are in place, they get reinforced...even as real skill decreases.

People should be re-trained and retested at least every five years. Being a good driver should be a source of pride, not something we just assume we are because we haven't had an accident. (Yet.)

Alas, we live in a world of sloppiness and ambivalence.

Comment edited by mystoneycreek on 2011-10-26 15:54:42

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds