Yet I strongly feel that we are dealing with a big problem that does not seem to go away. Like a 10 cm long fly that is trying to sit on your mash potatoes. The problem is negligent driving.
It is a well-known fact that when a fuss is being made over anything there will always be someone that says, “What’s the big deal?”
They ask us why we put car accidents on the front page of the newspaper, and on the internet. It is because it is a problem that affects many lives. Recently our front page was an accident were 14 people dead. Those people had families and responsibilities and that accident will have a ripple effect, that will probably still have an impact in some way or another for years to come.
Why should this matter to you? Today’s column is turning out to be a question and answer section. If you have ever skipped a red light or drove over the speed limit in a residential area or driven home after two beers, or even drove your children home without making sure the seatbelts were fastened, then it should matter to you because you are part of the problem.
Right about now I can imagine many people in self-righteous anger saying, “Get a load of this guy. Who does he think he is? The king of safety or something.” And turning the page to rant about an accident we reported on.
If you are still reading though, good for you because the first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one. There are countless causes and situations that lead to the tragic loss of life on our roads, but the factor that is most in our control to change, is our indifference to death on the roads and disregard for traffic laws. Yes I’m talking to you driver who cuts in front of people at the traffic light on the Mandela Street bridge. I can hear the wobbly, shushy sound in my head as my brain nods in agreement.
Imagine if we can address just this one problem. Imagine no more road rage and everyone politely waving at passing drivers like it’s the Bill Crosby show on the road. Then we can actually call accidents “accidents” because there would be no one to blame, not like in reality were a collision caused by a guy with one headlight, overtaking on a solid line while travelling 40kmph over the speed limit is still called an accident. That is like throwing a glass of water at full force against a wall and saying that you “accidentally” dropped it.
In a negligent- and road rage free world we would really care and feel empathy to those affected when an accident does claim someone’s life, instead of just being angry at the circumstances that caused it such as negligence.
So buckle up, check your blind spots and remember you don’t get a prize if you get the needle on your speedometer all the way to the end.
