Road Accidents

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Road accidents
The sight of ambulances and police-cars racing to the scene of a road accident in the city or on the busy
highway is so commonplace in modern countries that few heads turn even in idle curiosity. This is part of
the tragedy of road accidents. They occur so often that they are taken for granted, and the general public has
become conditioned to them. A murder, a fire or a riot is still front page news, but a serious motor accident
resulting in ghastly injury and often loss of life hardly rates a small back-page paragraph except o the
relatives of those involved, whose lies may be shattered and reduced to pitiful sadness, often poverty, by a
few seconds of rending metal and shattering glass. No solution of the problem can help these individuals.
There is indeed no cure, so there must be prevention, an the alarming increase in accidents shown by
statistics makes the question of cure an immediate one. In most countries, the accident rate goes up roughly
in proportion to the increase in the number of vehicles on the road, and there is every sign that in most
modern countries, the numbers of both are steadily increasing.
Such is the problem, but when we always the cause of accidents, we find there are many, and that the
problem is complex indeed.
The first point to realize is that not all accidents are caused by the driver; quite often the pedestrian is to
blame. The "jay" walker who is liable to a heavy fine in the USA, can be a menace; so can the child or
teenager playing 'last across' or simply playing about with a ball on the road; so can the old person whose
ability to see, hear and walk properly may be defective. Sometimes, the roads themselves present hazards;
the sharp bend with a reverse camber can easily send a vehicle off the road; sudden rain, ice patches, snow
and fog in cold countries, cause innumerable accidents every winter. and the narrowness of many roads in
country areas, and their poor surface and blind corners, greatly increase hazards of the driver. A proportion
of accidents can, of course, be blamed on the vehicle and therefore on the driver, though nobody can rule out
a front-wheel blow-out of speed. Vehicle defects, however, results from careless maintenance and the refusal
to pay for necessary repairs. Faulty tyres, steering, lighting and brakes cause many accidents. Badly focused
or undipped headlamps can blind oncoming traffic. But, it must be admitted that most accidents result from a
failure of the driver himself. Drink increased foolhardiness and slows reactions, and in most countries, the
penalties for driving under the influence of liquor are very stringent indeed. But, many accidents results
from a simple error of judgment due to inexperience or lack of 'road sense' -- and it is unfortunate that so
many people who barely 'scrape; through their driving test gain their experience at the expense of other
people. Other relevant causes are inconsiderate driving, a momentary slackening of attention due to fatigue,
an insect in he vehicle, or a family row, irritation hurry, perhaps and attack of illness at the wheel, or simply
the desire to 'show off' to a girl friend.
Just as there is no single cause of road accidents, so there can be no single solution, although most countries
are trying out both short and long term ideas. Looking ahead, the sane policy is to teach road manners, both
to drivers and pedestrians alike.
Britain is at present trying 'horrific' propaganda both on television and in posters -- depicting realistically
what happens when an accidents occurs.
driving tests are becoming more exacting, and licenses withdrawn for long periods following serious
offences. Heavy fines and imprisonment await the serious offender. It may well become necessary to
institute periodic tests for all drivers -- if this happened, one suspects, many people would be put straight off
the road. Insurance companies already put up their premiums after serious accidents and may refuse to
reinsure 'bad risks,' after which ti is unlikely that any other company will take them on. Drunken driving especially in Britain -- is severely punished nowadays; 'breathalysers' may become legal evidence after the
government has laid down the maximum quantity of liquor a person who is driving may consume in a given
period.
Roads, of course, must be widened, improved, and modernized as fast as possible -- and preferably made
two ways. it is rather a grievance among motorists that little of the revenue they pay in road-tax, is actually

spent on road-improvement.
Vehicles should be subjected to a five-year check, at least, and old commercial vehicles to spot-checks. This
would put many of them of the road.

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