| Poll: Who do you think is most to blame for the current high level of road deaths?
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[source: irishhealth.com]
If I was asked to take part in this poll, I would say: the drivers. They sit behind the wheel, they are focused (or not) on the road and they do know Irish roads are far from perfect.
The roads here are narrow, winding, and, simply, not safe. True, along most of those roads, there are signs displayed that maximum speed is 100 km/h. I tried this speed once and nearly lost control of my car. I usually travel at lesser speed and if if means there is a queue of some cars behind me, then... well... tough. I am not in a hurry for my own funeral.
I think we should remember about it every day - that we are responsible not only for our own lives but also for the lives of others.
Perhaps today we should remember it in particular. Today is All Saints' Day when we remember our dead and maybe ponder how fragile life is.
In Poland the beginning of November is a very busy time for the police. 10 thousand policemen and policewomen were deployed in the country last Wed and will work till Sunday night to make sure Polish roads are safer. They appeal to drivers to slow down as roads are slippery, to pedestrians to wear high-vis items of clothing, and to all to be very careful.At the end of this post, I want to mention some statistics.
In 2007 from January till September:
on the Irish roads: 252 killed
on the Polish roads: 3971 killed
It means more than 4000 new graves so far and more than 4000 lives lost.
Slow down on your way wherever you are going.
Updated on 2007-11-02
According to the Polish police, the first days of November are most dangerous on Polish roads. On Wednesday Oct 31 and Thursday Nov 1, 35 persons were killed and 354 injured in 306 car accidents. 743 drink drivers were caught.
* In Poland the max concentration of alcohol in blood is 0.2 per cent while in Ireland it is o.8 per cent (when breath testing, the legal limit in Ireland is 0.35 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath).
some of my sources:
Citizens Information
Policja
3 comments:
It is fine to say that all those lives are lost, but for every person that dies, there are many more that are injured seriously. Then of course for each dead person there are dozens that are grieving, whose lives are changed irreversibly.
The speed limit for the main roads here is 100kmph. On most roads in the countryside it's 80Kmph. Most people don't think about this.
yes, most people do not think about what and who will be left behind if they die. then again there are some innocent people who die in car crashes caused by drink drivers or some mad chancers.
november is the most dangerous month here, too---for hitting a deer on the highway.
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