An Unhappy Statistic!

No one can do these two things efficiently at the same time!


Deaths on the road have been steadily declining since the introduction of the points system. A significant 223 fewer people lost their lives in 2013 compared with 2012. That was 223 fewer funerals; 223 fewer families who did not have to cope with such tragedies. In fact, overall, Spain is doing really well when compared with the rest of Europe.

The death toll on Spanish roads per milliom population stands at 36, compared to 52 for other European countries as an average. In my view this problem is totally controllable. Nowhere is it written that when we get in or on our vehicles we have to die. If we all drove soberly and without allowing any other thing to impair our judgement, we will all complete our round trips safely, as most of us do everyday. That still means that we have to be vigilant where there is bad road design that encourages crashes. We still have to maintain our vehicles in good running condition, and we have to avoid driving when we are not fully capable.

Almost half of all road deaths are caused by alcohol or drug consummation, but on a bright note I am becoming aware that there seems to be a growing number of people who choose not to drink if they have to drive. We simply value our license and our cars, and we are also realizing that we don't have to drink to have a good time.

However, we have reached the midway point for 2014 and the number of highway deaths are ahead of last year. We are now in the midst of holiday road trips, so this is worrying. There are changes proposed that when implemented may have a negative effect. We will just have to see how things develop, but any increase in deaths while driving will come as a major disappointment.

Drive safely!  The life you save may be your own.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael