Why is the road toll climbing?
It is astonishing and lamentable that at the same time cars and roads become safer, the road toll continues to increase.
Not only are there more road fatalities, there are also far more people being injured. This is despite modern cars having safety features which make motor vehicle accidents more survivable.
Never before have cars been so easy to drive. Power steering, automatic transmissions, cruise controls, lane departure and blind spot detection signals all make driving child’s play.
So why is this happening? To me the likely answer is mobile phones.
Drivers are increasingly distracted by “things” in their cars rather than what’s on the road in front of them. Speaking on mobile phones, texting, and checking social media all militate against keeping drivers’ eyes on the road and their minds in gear.
The temptation to divert one’s attention has simply become too great for some, if not most drivers.
This is of course crazy and potentially deadly! What can be so urgent that a call can’t wait? What can be more important than keeping one’s mind on the job?
We all know that it only takes a few seconds to drive over a hundred metres.
It’s time to end this madness and put the phones right out of driver’s reach. Unfortunately I don’t like the chances of this ever happening.
Look what’s happening to our footpaths. Many people walking along are so transfixed by their mobile phones that they don’t even look ahead. Pedestrians simply walk across busy roads, completely oblivious to cars and other pedestrians bearing down on them.
What’s next? Putting red and green lights on the road itself as is happening outside some schools in Holland to protect school children from themselves?
If you or somebody you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation. For more information, and to arrange a free, no-obligation assessment of your claim, please contact Stacks Goudkamp on 1800 251 800 or alternatively make an online enquiry.
Written by Tom Goudkamp.
Tom Goudkamp is Managing Director of Stacks Goudkamp. He has over 40 years of experience of successfully bringing compensation claims for people injured in motor vehicle accidents.