ROAD CARNAGE.
In one of the Sunday papers this weekend, a journalist, Miranda Devine by name, wrote an excellent piece on older and women drivers. The phrase that really got to me was the first line in the last paragraph which reads, "Driving badly is a choice people make". What a great line that is, and it could and should be used throughout the country, in and on every media outlet to promote safer driving.
The carnage on our roads is a cancer and the only way to deal with a cancer is to cut it out. The powers that be have been pussy footing round for ages trying to deal with the ever increasing carnage on our roads, and instead of things getting better they are becoming worse. Better driving education is needed, so it has been said, and this is true. The only problem with that is the education to become effective
would take too long. Draconian measures are needed and the following could and should take place without any further delay.
The toughest thing in the world to change is people's attitude. And the attitude that a driving licence is a 'right' should be abandoned. What should be promoted is that a driving licence is a 'privilege' and must be earned the hard way. As follows.
The current system of testing is to be abandoned at once. In its place, all learner drivers should pass an advanced driving a test before they are allowed on the road. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO PASS, NO LICENCE.
Every three years, ALL DRIVERS, NO EXCEPTIONS, should pass the advanced driving test, and every five years, ALL DRIVERS NO EXCEPTIONS should undergo a medical and eyesight est. NO PASS NO LICENCE, NO EXCEPTIONS.
A couple of older drivers have been involved in very nasty accident recently, and much has been said and written about the standard of driving by older people. The implication is of course, 80 year old drivers should not be on the road.
BAD DRIVING IS A PERSONAL CHOICE, and is not the prerogative of older drivers, male or female.
After every holiday in Australia, particularly so at Christmas time, many people are involved in car accidents, people are hurt, maimed and killed,. Probably less than one per cent of the accidents are caused by the older driver, Likewise, on any freeway, the lunatics who persistently break the speed limit are not 80 year olds.
There are a number of people who are alive tday who will not be with us by the end of the year, because they, or someone else 'made a choice to drive badly.' "Sheer accidents" are very few and far between I would suggest.
What is needed is the 'political will', as a friend calls it, to put similar measures into practice. Expensive? of course,but look at the benfits.!!
However, I foresee two problems. One the civil liberties people squawking about invasion of privacy and civil liberties, and politicians that if they put their name to the similara measures, bang go their chances at the next election.
Think about it Bloggers,
BAD DRIVING A CHOICE WE ALL MAKE.
Caz.
In one of the Sunday papers this weekend, a journalist, Miranda Devine by name, wrote an excellent piece on older and women drivers. The phrase that really got to me was the first line in the last paragraph which reads, "Driving badly is a choice people make". What a great line that is, and it could and should be used throughout the country, in and on every media outlet to promote safer driving.
The carnage on our roads is a cancer and the only way to deal with a cancer is to cut it out. The powers that be have been pussy footing round for ages trying to deal with the ever increasing carnage on our roads, and instead of things getting better they are becoming worse. Better driving education is needed, so it has been said, and this is true. The only problem with that is the education to become effective
would take too long. Draconian measures are needed and the following could and should take place without any further delay.
The toughest thing in the world to change is people's attitude. And the attitude that a driving licence is a 'right' should be abandoned. What should be promoted is that a driving licence is a 'privilege' and must be earned the hard way. As follows.
The current system of testing is to be abandoned at once. In its place, all learner drivers should pass an advanced driving a test before they are allowed on the road. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO PASS, NO LICENCE.
Every three years, ALL DRIVERS, NO EXCEPTIONS, should pass the advanced driving test, and every five years, ALL DRIVERS NO EXCEPTIONS should undergo a medical and eyesight est. NO PASS NO LICENCE, NO EXCEPTIONS.
A couple of older drivers have been involved in very nasty accident recently, and much has been said and written about the standard of driving by older people. The implication is of course, 80 year old drivers should not be on the road.
BAD DRIVING IS A PERSONAL CHOICE, and is not the prerogative of older drivers, male or female.
After every holiday in Australia, particularly so at Christmas time, many people are involved in car accidents, people are hurt, maimed and killed,. Probably less than one per cent of the accidents are caused by the older driver, Likewise, on any freeway, the lunatics who persistently break the speed limit are not 80 year olds.
There are a number of people who are alive tday who will not be with us by the end of the year, because they, or someone else 'made a choice to drive badly.' "Sheer accidents" are very few and far between I would suggest.
What is needed is the 'political will', as a friend calls it, to put similar measures into practice. Expensive? of course,but look at the benfits.!!
However, I foresee two problems. One the civil liberties people squawking about invasion of privacy and civil liberties, and politicians that if they put their name to the similara measures, bang go their chances at the next election.
Think about it Bloggers,
BAD DRIVING A CHOICE WE ALL MAKE.
Caz.
posted by caz at
9:58 PM
3 Comments:
>BAD DRIVING A CHOICE WE ALL MAKE<
I have to disagree with your tag line. I don't make that choice, I choose to drive well.
The original *Driving badly is a choice people make* is spot on though.
Re comment by Seebee.
Perhaps I should have said, it is a choice we all make sometime during our drivng lives. If one is driving from the age of 18 to the age of 70, few, if any of us will drive perfectly all of the time throughout those years. Maybe there are exceptions, but I doubt it.
Re comment by Spooner.
I am not defending anyone of any age. Just pointing a couple of facts. The several hundred lunatic drivers a day who break the speed limit on the F3,few, if any,, are 80 year olds.
The appalling loss of life and limbs after every holiday, less than 1% would be caused by people in their 80s, I would suggest
We have to start somewhere, and my draconian measures are at least a step in the right direction. To have a uniform standard of driving excellence on our roads is no bad thing. We have to do whatever it takes, and whatever the cost to reach that stage.
Yes, the cost would be high, yes, thousands of lives would be disrupted, and lifestyles altered, but if it cuts the horrifc road toll, so be it.
To suggest that any driver, no exceptions, should reach a standard of excellence before being allowed on the road, to suggest that drivers should be physically fit with no impairment, and have exellent eyesight seems to me sound common sense, and moreover, it is stating the bleeding obvious.!!
Something must be done now, otherwise, people will go on criticising every scheme that is suggested, and, as usual nothing gets done.
We are a little way from the next long week end, and not that much father away from Christmas. Whilst we are pussy footing around with the problem. we can read about the accidents which will follow these holdiays.
Caz.
caz, by re-writing the line you thought was *great* you changed its meaning completely - that was my point.
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