Hi Folks…

Having attended 3 separate events on
road safety in the last 3 weeks the one thing that has become apparent is the
lack of real world statistics and data for South Africa with regard to
fatalities on our roads and, more importantly the contributing factors. While
some may think it not possible, there is, in other parts of the world both the
will and the capacity to make it happen. The question is - what prevents us?

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) made available the following data with the observation
that more was needed in order to remedy the situation.

Newly released 2014 crash data show:

·        
Drunk driving
crashes continue to represent roughly one-third of fatalities, resulting in
9,967 deaths last year.

·        
Nearly half (49%) of
passenger vehicle occupants killed were not wearing seat belts.

·        
The number of
motorcyclists killed was far higher in states without strong helmet laws,
resulting in 1,565 lives lost last year.

·        
Cyclist deaths
declined by 2.3 percent, but pedestrian deaths rose by 3.1 percent from 2013.
In 2014, there were 726 cyclists and 4,884 pedestrians killed in motor vehicle
crashes.

·        
Distracted driving
accounted for 10 percent of all crash fatalities, killing 3,179 people in 2014.

·        
Drowsy driving
accounted for 2.6 percent of all crash fatalities; at least 846 people died in
these crashes in 2014.

The 2015 fatality estimate is up 8.1
percent from the same period in 2014, NHTSA said, and the fatality rate rose by
4.4 percent.

Of course not having accurate data /
statistics  should not be a reason for not actively promoting safe driving
behaviour  - particularly during the “silly season” – but in fact give
drivers the added incentive to not be one of the ( almost inevitable) victims
of bad driving!

Till next time – Remember, Driving is a
privilege and responsibility, not a right!

Eugene Herbert