Cedric Stephens Re-education on proper driving can save lives
Attorney-at-law and Gleaner columnist Gordon Robinson’s column last Tuesday, ‘The essence of physics’, provided the fodder for today’s article. To paraphrase him: the reason for so many road fatalities is a lack of education and not dangerous driving. The latter is a symptom of the disease, not its cause.
If proper driver education does not take place before licences are issued, road fatalities will continue to increase.
Robinson’s argument regarding the lack of proper driving education is beyond dispute. The same newspaper confirmed it in a 13-word headline: ‘She wasn’t drunk: Family dismisses speculation as mom, teenage son killed in crash’. According to a report that quoted a family member, the accident occurred while the mom and driver “was on the phone with someone”.
It was a tragic loss for the family in an avoidable accident at the start of a new year. Sadly, the same relatives unexpectedly lost, less than five years ago, the brother of the teenager that was killed along with his mother.
Fewer female drivers are killed in vehicle collisions on Jamaica’s roads (and worldwide) than male drivers. Statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force Accident Analysis Unit, as reported in this newspaper in 2012, stated that male drivers were 19 times more likely to be killed in crashes than women drivers.
The Government gave notice last year that the new Road Traffic Act and Regulations will come into effect early in 2023. Among the proposed changes will be the limited use of cellphones while driving, and a new regime of increased fines and penalties for lawbreakers. Most drivers, from my observation, continue to behave, in the words of the American songwriter-singer Sam Cooke’s 1960s song, as though ‘Change(s) are (not) Gonna Come’.
The minister of national security gave details to the House of Representatives last Tuesday, according to the Jamaica Information Service, about changes in enforcement. The “end-to-end digitised ticketing system will go live on February 1”. He predicted that the new system would increase the efficiency of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch officers of the police force, “by ensuring that motorists who break the law receive with immediacy, the prescribed consequence, but importantly (it) will nullify speculations of corruption and avoidance”.
Traffic tickets will be issued using hand-held devices, which will also make the information immediately available.
This column provided strong arguments about the dangers of using cellphones while driving in ‘Mobile phones still a driving hazard’ on July 6, 2018. The fact that last week’s accident resulted in the unnecessary loss of two young lives, there was evidence that the driver ‘was on the phone with someone’ at the time of the crash, the new law and regulations will be coming into effect soon, plus the wisdom of Mr Robinson’s argument about improper driving education have forced me to share with readers parts of the article I wrote nearly five years ago.
The points that are listed below were obtained from the United Kingdom’s Highway Code:
o You must exercise proper control of your vehicle always.
o You must not use a hand-held mobile phone, or similar device, when driving or when supervising a learner-driver, except in a genuine emergency when it is unsafe or impractical to stop.
o Never use a hand-held microphone when driving.
o Using hands-free equipment is also likely to distract your attention from the road. It is far safer not to use any telephone while you are driving or riding. Find a safe place to stop first, or use the voicemail facility and listen to messages later.
o There is a danger of driver distraction being caused by in-vehicle systems such as satellite navigation systems, congestion warning systems, PCs, multimedia, etc.
o Do not rely on driver assistance systems such as cruise control or lane departure warnings. They are available to assist, but you should not reduce your concentration levels.
o Do not be distracted by maps or screen-based information (such as navigation or vehicle-management systems) while driving or riding. If necessary, find a safe place to stop.
Some people believe that, because the new law explicitly bans the use of hand-held mobile devices while driving, it is safe to use a hands-free in-vehicle system to communicate.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that cell phone use during driving causes distractions, and that distractions often lead to accidents. It has identified three types of distractions: visual – taking one’s eyes off the road; manual – taking one’s hands off the steering wheel; and cognitive – taking one’s mind off driving.
“Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. Sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds, long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 miles per hour,” the CDC said.
Finally, according to PubMed.gov, epidemiological evidence suggests that the relative risk of being in a traffic accident while using a cell phone is like the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit.
n Cedric E. Stephens provides independent information and advice about the management of risks and insurance. For free information or counsel, write to: aegis@flowja.com or business@gleanerjm.com