Driving as it should be done
My joy in seeing the news that the number of deaths on Spanish roads has declined again is tempered only by the fact that while 250 fewer people died during 2011 than the previous year, there were still far too many people whose lives ended needlessly in 2011.
Up until the introduction of the points system, deaths on the road were out of control. It was obvious that as drivers we held the key in our hands to stop the madness, but people were unimpressed. It was always something likely to happen to others because "although I drive fast," so the saying went, "I drive with security." Not so! At the height of the madness the death toll was over 7,000 in a single year. Figures did drop slowly as we went through the years, perhaps because the more irresponsible killed themselves, but then the points system came in and drivers came to realize that if they accumulated sufficient points they would lose their license, and because you have to go through a process of earning your license back from scratch, that means that you would likely never drive again.
Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs became something to be avoided like the plague. Well, of course. The DGT has been saying that all along. Driving within the speed limit means a better likelihood that you will be in control of your car. Of course! Too much speed is almost always part of the cause of car crashes.
Every year since points appeared the death toll has steadily dropped. In 2010, 1729 lost their lives. During 2011, 250 families were spared the draining experience of having to go to the cemetry to bury a family member. This year we lost 1,479 people, a figure that has not been this low for 50 years. However, that only tells part of the story because the intensity of traffic over 50 years has grown by massive proportions, and driving in today's traffic is nothing like it was all those years ago.
The very automobiles that we drive are superbly crafted machines, and the roads along which we travel are ribbons of smooth asphalt. As drivers we really don't have any excuses to rely on. We have to drive unimpeded by drink or drugs, or lack of rest, and we must pay strict attention to what we are doing. When we take the controls of our driving machine we are no longer in our living rooms, we are in control of our lives and the lives of others, and we must be responsible.
That is an awesome responsibility, but the fact that more of us are recognising it is reason for hope. I feel certain that we can conduct ourselves to see the day when the figure drops below 1000. We can do it. Yes! We can! Meanwhile, Congratulations to us all for our positive contribution.
Copyright (c) 2012 Eugene Carmichael
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