The Safe Driver

Reducing road carnage is my vote

When I originally began writing these articles for road safety, it was really for the area that I live in, which is Ontario Canada. But as the years have progressed, according to my statistics, many people from around the globe have read these words and have commented back to me. It’s very interesting to know what driving is like on many different continents. So, because of this trend, I began a few ago to keep my articles neutral as much as possible to help anyone who reads them. It also means I research different countries to get their information and trends.

I was recently wondering how many vehicular crashes happen each year in different countries. This of course only means the crashes which were reported. Many minor crashes will go unreported so we must go with the information supplied. In Canada, roughly 160,000 vehicle crashes are reported each year. In the US, roughly 6,000,000 vehicle crashes happen each year and in India, almost 500,000 vehicle crashes happen each year. Many of the crashes injure or kill people. There are roughly 1,350,000 people killed annually on our roads: drivers, passengers, motorcycle riders, cyclists, pedestrians. Think about these numbers for a moment. Something must be done as more vehicles and more drivers are on our roads each year sharing the roads with others.

There are things each of us can do to reduce these drastic numbers. Oh sure, I won’t preach to you. Many are tired of listening to the words about road safety. You know, distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and even seat belt use are all part of road safety campaigns each year. Wouldn’t it be nice not having to spend time listening about these campaigns? Perhaps even allocating the money spent on these campaigns to something else within your jurisdiction? Well, do something then.

Many believe the government must do something to fix the problem of injuries and death on our roads. Nope. We do. We have it all in our hands to do something to make a change. Can one person make a change? Yes, I believe they can. Many crashes involve more than one person. If one of those 2 people did something different, the crash could be avoided. Other crashes are single vehicle. So, what if they did something different? The crash could be avoided. Why do we need government, at any level, to tell us what to do? We don’t.

It’s something like voting. Many feel their vote means nothing. With many people having the same opinion, they won’t vote and changes won’t happen. Those who do vote can make a difference. When many people cast their vote for the same party/person, they make changes. When it comes to making a difference with road safety, each person can make a difference. If each of us change how we drive, it can protect us, our passengers and our vehicle and if we reduce the risks we take behind the wheel, less crashes happen, which mean less injuries, less fatalities and less insurance claims.

Don’t pass the buck and blame government for a lack of rules. It’s time to self govern what we do behind the wheel before it gets worse. That’s my vote.

**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as it was discussed how not paying attention behind the wheel cost one child their life!