So, the government has released figures saying that road deaths have fallen over the last year. This is great news for the obvious reason that less people have lost a loved one in what surely must be one of the most abrupt and brutal ways. However I'm also slightly worried by the news. Worried? Yes, more than a little concerned.
The powers that be will put this reduction in mortality down to the successful implementation of all our brightly coloured roadside "safety" cameras and all those nice men in vans that sit on flyovers taking pictures of people speeding on empty stretches of motorway.
Don't get me wrong; I don't condone speeding. I think in the wrong place at the wrong time speed is as anti social as drink driving but on wide-open empty roads it isn't. Surely these figures must be accredited, in the main at least, to the manufacturers' perpetual progress in terms of safety. More people than ever before now enjoy the benefits of ABS and Dynamic Stability Control of some form or another, not to mention cars developed for stringent crash tests, via Euro NCAP, and thus crammed full of airbags etc.
Also within the figures was the story of more cyclists being killed and injured than ever before - something else that will be blamed on drivers. But look around and you can see them running red lights and flying across give way junctions and ramping off pavements into the road. I don't have the stats to hand, but wonder how many of these accidents the driver could avoid; not many I fear, but I don't see any measures to control cyclists.
I hope that the figures will be explained to the public in clear terms with facts such as progress in passenger vehicle safety and the like but I fear they won't and will be used as the leverage to roll out more devices such as in-car trackers to further penalise motorists. If you like cars and driving then these are dangerous times. Not in terms of mortality but more likely in terms of perceived morality as we've never been under such intense political pressure before. Enjoy your car while you can; I fear Big Brother is coming.
Dave Jenkins - 3 Oct 2005
