Amazing! The things people say and do from a moving vehicle.

Everybody will chase you if you say the wrong thing.

All drivers suffer from the same illness. When we are behind the wheel we suffer from a lack of patience, and we seem to think that we have the right to say whatever comes to mind, including the making of the most rude gestures. I have had to deliberately think about my own behaviour and tone things down. I have been too ready to slag off others for the slightest offence, as seen from my eyes. Apparently, I have been the very model of all that is right and just. (Yeah, Right!)

Firstly, there's the loss of patience. I am tackling that by taking a deep breath before I turn the key. In that breath is my caution to myself to take things easy. I actually find that it does work, to the extent that I hardly notice the faults of others. I am ready for them by expecting the unexpected, such as the person who is on the exit lane, then changes their mind and suddenly comes back on to the highway. No pasa nada! I try not to immediately go into meltdown by screaming "shit for brains."

People give the bad finger salute to one another, or they taunt the other person even if both cars are going in the same direction. I once came up upon a car that was traveling very slowly, so I made as to overtake him. He picked up speed, so I fell back behind him. Then he slowed right down to a crawl pace. O.K. War was declared! My head exploded, but I took that deep breath and thought through to how that was likely to end. So, at the very next turnoff, I took a left onto the side road and stopped off the road, and calmed myself down. Within seconds I could hear from up the road the sounds of several cars blowing their horns, then calm again, so presumably he picked up speed to everyone's satisfaction. I did not kill a man that day.

A really offensive thing is the driver who roars up behind you, honking his horn for you to get out of his way. I really do believe that in most cases this is simply not necessary, but there might be the one case of genuine emergency, so best to let the person get past you without taking offence.

Road rage can produce some alarming behaviour, and sometimes the offended driver might take chase. How is that likely to end? The nicest thing to have happened to me on a lonely road, was to meet a car coming towards me. We both had to slow right down to make the pass. Just as we were driver to driver, the woman behind the wheel raised her shirt revealing two very lovely breasts. Then, in an instant she was gone.

That happened about thirty years ago. It is as fresh in my mind today as when it happened. That was just lovely!

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

The Greatest danger to you and me: Texting while driving!

Why do we even think this is a reasonable thing to do?

Firstly, there is the distinction between our living rooms and our cars: In our living rooms we are free to do as we please as usually we are able to concentrate on whatever we wish. In our cars we are obliged to concentrate on one thing only while in motion, and that is the road ahead.

With that in mind, first came mobile phones that were used solely for the sending and receiving of oral messages. We thought that was just so cool to be in contact while on the move. However, from the start the phone was a dangerous distraction. That led to the development of the handsfree unit that allowed the driver to talk and still keep his eyes on the road. However, focus is still drawn away from the thousand things that must be avoided ahead, and so the crashes continued.

Now, twitter, facebook, and a number of other social sites encourage text messages to the extent that people have become addicts to their phones. It's a strange event to occur in our lives that when a phone rings our immdeiate response is to stop what we are doing to answer, even if we are in the act of physically making love. That is simply taking matters way over the top!

In the United States of America, a report on 2009 distracted driving crashes found that 5,474 people died as a result of drivers who were distracted by others in the car; by eating, drinking, smoking, adjusting the radio, making other adjustments, reaching for an object, such as the electronic lighter and lighting cigarettes; and of course, the use of mobile phones accounting for 20% of the total.

Texting behind the wheel while in motion is on the increase, but if the simple use of even a hands-free phone to hold a conversation is dangerous, the use of a device that requires the driver to look at it while sometimes driving at speed increases the risk that other people will be killed by the potenially lethal machine under the driver's control; but so is that likely for the driver and the passengers in the car.

What this comes down to is that the driver has to enact self discipline. If we need to send a message urgently we must find a safe place to pull off the road, shut down the engine and send the message. For incoming message and calls, let it ring. No one really expects for you to be always and instantly available. If that is what they think they are simply wrong and should be made to understand that is not possible.

I know this is possible to do because I have mastered the discipline. It is not an easy thing, I admit, but at least I am content to know that whatever happens, the likelihood that I will be the one responsible for some one else's death is minimal.

While reflecting on this it would be good to remember that there are at least two major incidents where trains have crashed, resulting in many deaths and lasting injuries to hundreds and hundreds of people, all because the drivers were distracted by their mobile phones.

That is really something to take away from this presentation.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

1,112! A perverse sort of celebration, but encouraging!

192 fewer of these is cause to celebrate!

The year, 2013 closed marking more progress on the war against death on the roads. Even since the year that the points system was introduced in Spain there has been an unrelenting downward drop in the number of people who have lost their lives in driving crashes. It is very curious that before the points system it was pointed out to drivers that if they continued to act with complete disregard to the rules of the road, they would likely lose their lives. That made no impression at all, but the moment we realised that we could lose our driving permit, the message sunk in.

The loss of life in 2012 stands at 1, 304, but for 2013 the number was 1, 112, a drop of 192. I seem to remember that the worst year on record saw 7, 877 people lose their lives, at a time when there was only a small fraction of the cars and drivers compared to today. Should we see a further drop of 12% this year, for the first time fewer than 1,000 people will lose their lives on the roads.

I sincerely hope that the DGT doesn't lose sight of that goal, and that they will centre a campaign around that objective. I promise to do my part. Will you?

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!

Welcome 2014!

So far, we are doing well in ending the old year with fewer people dead from road clashes. It seems that either the road hooligans are growing up and learning to stop being stupid, or they died along the way. For instance, at our new year dinner at a restaurant there were two designated drivers who remained absolutely sober with the responsibility of getting everyone home safely. Deaths on Valencia's road fell by a third over last year, so the message is getting home.

We will have to wait and see what the final figures are country-wide for the year. I can only hope that they too will be down on last year. No where is it written that when you get your driving permit you have to die on the road.

During 2014 we will have to be aware that the DGT now has another weapon at it's disposal. If you are tagged speeding by radar, the following questions will be considered: How fast were you travelling over the limit? Are you driving while impaired? Is your permit in order? Is your car insured by a policy that is currently in force? And, is your car's ITV still current? Even before the officer approaches your car he will know the answer to most of those questions.

It gets worse than that. In my country people have to pass certain points every day to and from work where there are very sophisticated cameras that record your car's number and your picture and feed that information to a computer that checks all of those questions. You are then sent mandatory fines for infractions that you may be committing every day. You could find yourelf with ten days worth of fines to pay, provided that you immediately stop driving until you get the problems fixed.

That could take all of the joy out of being alive!

Stay safe and free of driving fines!

Happy New Year!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael