I read in one of the Spanish newspapers the opinion of a fellow columnist who was trying to make the case that speed on the Spanish roads was fine, provided it was coupled with what he called security and technique. I was in the midst of formulating an opposing reply when, except for the great floods of 1957, the most horrific calamity in Valencia´s history occurred. As reported, a train in the Metro system travelled at twice the posted speed limit and jumped the track, resulting in at least 42 deaths and many more to recuperate from their injuries.
I do not presume to know the reasons why the train was travelling so fast, but should it turn out to have been recklessness and bad judgement, that will be in line with the usual reasons associated with motoring disasters. One thing is clear: Speed Kills!
The attitude that “driving fast with security is O.K”. is all too prevalent on Spanish roads. Particularly young people believe in this. These are people who talk exceedingly fast; who walk very fast; who wolf down their food entirely too fast, and who drive too fast. But speed with security on Spanish roads is a myth. It simply does not exist, and this myth is one of the things that the government is determined to shatter as part of the new points system crackdown.
The only place that speed with security and technique can be practised is on the race track at Cheste. There they have a controlled environment. Before a race the track is inspected and all foreign matter is removed. There are no pedestrians crossing the street while racing is underway (at least there shouldn’t be), or children playing football on open ground alongside the track. Traffic flows one-way, and there is no mix of traffic. In motorcycle racing there are only motorcycles of only one class, or one class of cars when cars are racing. Even then, there are some spectacular smashes. Drivers run the risk of coming to harm, but they accept that risk. Steps are taken to minimize the risk, but nonetheless the risk is quite high that someone could get seriously hurt. Even the fans that love a great and spectacular crash would rather that the driver walked away unharmed.
The comparison between Cheste raceway driving and driving the highways and by-ways of Spain should be like night and day. We know that, due to the congestion of traffic that sooner or later we will be bumped by someone, or that we will bump into someone, but it should not be such as to cause loss of life. Fender-benders are part of the norm of motoring, but smashing head-long into another vehicle causing death(s) is totally unacceptable. When excessive speed is involved, and all too often it is, then it is all the more unacceptable. We do not accept as a normal risk that a drive to the supermarket will probably result in our death. If we lived in Iraq, maybe. But this is Spain!
Those road traffic signs that set speed limits are usually there for a good reason. I often find myself driving along a particular stretch of road at a speed that I find comfortable. By comfortable I mean that I am in complete control when taking corners, and I approach blind spots so that should there be a sudden hazard I can bring my car to a halt by braking in a soft and progressive manner. When I notice the speed limit sign and compare that to the speed that I am doing, if the two agree I am well pleased, and that is proof positive to me that the engineers have got it right.
That is not to say that I always agree with the deployment of road speed signs. There is much work that needs to be done to refine the thinking behind the placement of such signs. For example, on one stretch of road traffic leaving the town where the speed limit is 50 km/h is advised that the new limit is 70km/h. Less than fifty metres past that sign is another that states 50km/h while crossing a dangerous junction. What was the point of the 70km/h sign?
A Spanish buddy picked me up and drove me to a place where we had a mutual appointment. He habitually drives very fast, dodging in and out of traffic, doing all the nightmarish things that I curse out drivers like him for doing. Curiously, I didn´t feel very anxious as he was so confident. I´m sure he could have made that car do anything he wanted it to do. However, he was certainly not ready for the unexpected. He passed a couple of cars that were driving in the middle lane by going to their right. Had one of them decided to move over into the right lane, where they should have been, we would have had a collision. He also appeared so suddenly behind other vehicles that had they been about to overtake the car in front of them we would likely have had a collision.
Finally we arrived at our destination in plenty of time, where we then had lunch and put our feet up for the rest of the afternoon. So, all that speeding to get there was not even necessary.
Please don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you!
I do not presume to know the reasons why the train was travelling so fast, but should it turn out to have been recklessness and bad judgement, that will be in line with the usual reasons associated with motoring disasters. One thing is clear: Speed Kills!
The attitude that “driving fast with security is O.K”. is all too prevalent on Spanish roads. Particularly young people believe in this. These are people who talk exceedingly fast; who walk very fast; who wolf down their food entirely too fast, and who drive too fast. But speed with security on Spanish roads is a myth. It simply does not exist, and this myth is one of the things that the government is determined to shatter as part of the new points system crackdown.
The only place that speed with security and technique can be practised is on the race track at Cheste. There they have a controlled environment. Before a race the track is inspected and all foreign matter is removed. There are no pedestrians crossing the street while racing is underway (at least there shouldn’t be), or children playing football on open ground alongside the track. Traffic flows one-way, and there is no mix of traffic. In motorcycle racing there are only motorcycles of only one class, or one class of cars when cars are racing. Even then, there are some spectacular smashes. Drivers run the risk of coming to harm, but they accept that risk. Steps are taken to minimize the risk, but nonetheless the risk is quite high that someone could get seriously hurt. Even the fans that love a great and spectacular crash would rather that the driver walked away unharmed.
The comparison between Cheste raceway driving and driving the highways and by-ways of Spain should be like night and day. We know that, due to the congestion of traffic that sooner or later we will be bumped by someone, or that we will bump into someone, but it should not be such as to cause loss of life. Fender-benders are part of the norm of motoring, but smashing head-long into another vehicle causing death(s) is totally unacceptable. When excessive speed is involved, and all too often it is, then it is all the more unacceptable. We do not accept as a normal risk that a drive to the supermarket will probably result in our death. If we lived in Iraq, maybe. But this is Spain!
Those road traffic signs that set speed limits are usually there for a good reason. I often find myself driving along a particular stretch of road at a speed that I find comfortable. By comfortable I mean that I am in complete control when taking corners, and I approach blind spots so that should there be a sudden hazard I can bring my car to a halt by braking in a soft and progressive manner. When I notice the speed limit sign and compare that to the speed that I am doing, if the two agree I am well pleased, and that is proof positive to me that the engineers have got it right.
That is not to say that I always agree with the deployment of road speed signs. There is much work that needs to be done to refine the thinking behind the placement of such signs. For example, on one stretch of road traffic leaving the town where the speed limit is 50 km/h is advised that the new limit is 70km/h. Less than fifty metres past that sign is another that states 50km/h while crossing a dangerous junction. What was the point of the 70km/h sign?
A Spanish buddy picked me up and drove me to a place where we had a mutual appointment. He habitually drives very fast, dodging in and out of traffic, doing all the nightmarish things that I curse out drivers like him for doing. Curiously, I didn´t feel very anxious as he was so confident. I´m sure he could have made that car do anything he wanted it to do. However, he was certainly not ready for the unexpected. He passed a couple of cars that were driving in the middle lane by going to their right. Had one of them decided to move over into the right lane, where they should have been, we would have had a collision. He also appeared so suddenly behind other vehicles that had they been about to overtake the car in front of them we would likely have had a collision.
Finally we arrived at our destination in plenty of time, where we then had lunch and put our feet up for the rest of the afternoon. So, all that speeding to get there was not even necessary.
Please don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you!
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
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