I am writing in response to your front page article published last week.
I would like to begin my comments by emphasising no intention of disrespect to the families whose loved ones died in any vehicle tragedies.
READ:
Two die in Birch Road accident
This is about general behaviour and not targeting specific incidents.
There are so many road accidents we read or hear about where a popular response is to implement ‘road calming measures’.
Now of course these speed humps have a desired effect for 20m before and 20m after the road hump, but then they’re off again.
We are quick to blame ‘road conditions’ for the accidents, yet we (humans) are operating the vehicles.
The most recent, terribly shocking image on the front page is evident of high speed, and my most humblest condolences to the families and loved ones who suffered death of family members in this incident.
I live in Western Extension and I am privy to hearing many accidents at intersections in the west of Benoni late into the night.
Send your letters to bctletters@caxton.co.za
These are caused by two simple failures: running a red traffic light or ignoring a stop street, which amounts to the same thing – disobeying rules of the road.
Having said that, our speed bumps are pathetic at best.
A speed bump should be a small slope and use inertia to be effective, not the reverse of a pothole which causes vehicles to need to slow down to an almost dead stop to pass over it.
Let’s also leave the taxis out of this for now as they are an irritation which the metro is purely incapable of managing for reasons I dare not mention in writing, but which we are all aware of.
Driving behaviour has declined due to a combination of arrogant self-entitlement and a selfish ‘me-first’ attitude on the road.
The truth is that we drive at the speed we want to, skip quiet intersections and run red lights even after the opposite have turned green, because there is little or no fear of being held accountable.
In any tragedy there is always the person at fault and an unfortunate victim.
If we alone re-enact most suburban accidents and apply the appropriate speed limit, it would almost certainly reduce the fatalities to near zero, and in some cases even allow for both vehicles to possibly have avoided each other.
I feel like a stuck record, but the rules and laws of the road are guidelines for safe use of the road.
Ignoring these will result in collisions.
Accidents are not always caused by speed, but mostly by ignoring rules of the road.
Highway usage is a prime example.
Drivers have forgotten the most basic rule by which they qualified to receive permission to use the roads: Keep left, pass right.
How many times traffic flow is interrupted by slower moving vehicles clogging the second or even third to fast lane is ridiculous.
The reality is that until we ‘unfortunately’ are forced to become accountable through increased vigilant traffic enforcement and sufficiently deterrent fines being issued, the carnage will continue and we, as humans, will always raise our hands in despair and ask “Why did this happen?” or blame road conditions for our behaviour.
Maybe our metro needs to be more fearfully visible on the roads and react to road users breaking the rules of the road, and not just ignorantly drive on as if they never saw the offence.
Maybe the metro needs to be more observant to what is going on around them instead of head down over that mobile phone.
Maybe the metro just needs to be out more with a purpose.
Also read:
UPDATE: Northmead Square Kodak store victim of robbery for fourth time
