Readers: You suggest that we should not overtake along two-way roads, but surely there are times, such as when following slow-moving vehicles like tractors and mopeds, when it is not reasonable to crawl along at 40 kmp/h.
Driver’s Seat: The point is well taken. My appeal refers principally to overtaking other cars out of simple impatience If the stretch of road has a broken centre line, it would not be illegal to overtake, but the question becomes is this a safe place to make such a manoeuvre?
Spain has undergone rapid changes over a very short period of time in every aspect. So much so that Spaniards say the pace of change is enough to make one dizzy. Starting with the road system itself, it was not that long ago when everybody was driving the Seat 600, a very small car indeed. Roads were narrow, and the route from one major place to another was an adventure that took the motorist through mountain passes along agonizingly winding and endless terrain. Such stretches of roads have become abandoned as they are too dangerous for today’s size of vehicles, and no-one has the patience to creep along them.
Even roads that were laid down parallel to the old system are in the process of being widened yet again. A classic example is that of the CV-35 that runs from downtown Valencia to the region of Ademuz. Until we reach Lliria this roadway is two lanes in either direction, and it is relatively straight. Now the department of road works are in the process of adding a third lane in either direction, and of extending this motorway past Lliria. Such is the heavy volume of traffic that demands it, and more to the point, the size of each vehicle has increased by such a degree that the Seat 600 could be carried aboard or behind in a light trailer as though it were a cement mixer.
We are starting to see certain stretches of road where, due to sheer volume of traffic, roads management are rescinding the overtake provision and instead they are putting down an unbroken centre line.
One of the most distressing road facts is that every head-on collision results in death. So often the headlines read that more people were killed than actual crashes. .i.e.” 47 people killed in 45 head-on accidents.” This, in spite of seat belts and air bags. Well, if it’s a head-on collision that means at least one car was where it was not supposed to be. Why was it there? Most likely because it was in the act of overtaking and badly misjudged the distance of the oncoming car; or the overtake took place when it was simply not possible to see clearly that the oncoming lane was entirely clear, such as before the crest of a hill.
Another reason could have been that the offending vehicle was in the act of making a left turn across oncoming traffic. No-one has explained how it is possible not to see the oncoming car on a straight road, but I have heard drivers say after a near- miss, “I just didn’t see him coming!” The fact is that it is very rare to have a truly safe opportunity to overtake as there is simply too many of us on the road.
So, having said all that, perhaps it is a little clearer what is meant by refraining from overtaking as we might have done when times were a lot simpler and less congested. We tend to drive over-fast in this country anyway. Most people seem to think that they are in more of a hurry than they really are. For instance, if we drive too fast to get to the restaurant and then sit back and relax for several hours, that betrays the need in the first place for all that speed. What was needed was simply to have left home a little earlier.
As the journey to work lengthens because of traffic so must we allow the extra time for making the trip. We cannot squander time at home in the expectation of making it up on the road. Those days have most probably gone forever.
At the heart of all the new traffic measures is the objective of one day reaching a zero death toll on our roads. Why not? That would be a wonderful day indeed if, and when that goal is reached. The fact is that when the news is reported to us of the death toll for the day, week, month or year, something inside us is badly affected. Perhaps we are disturbed to think that only for the grace of God, go I, and that none of those people thought it would ever happen to them.
Prior to July 1st, 2006, the risk factor inherent in venturing out onto the roads in Spain was greater than moving about the war zones of Afghanistan or Iraq where people fire live rounds of ammunition. The government are trying to do something about that with the introduction of the points system. Their effort deserves our support After all, it’s our lives they are trying to save.
And so, to repeat, please don’t overtake along two-way stretches of roadway unless it is abundantly clear that it is safe to do so. Someone is waiting at home for your safe return. Their disappointment if you don’t make it will be too much for them to bear.
Copyright (c) 2008 Eugene Carmichael
