So many good reasons to be careful on the road
Taking care to do the right things behind the wheel can make a huge difference because the lives of our passengers and other road users are in our hands.
“Five fatal motorcycle accidents in 24 hours,” screams a headline. “Cyclist fatally struck,” cries another, followed by “Car crash victim was not wearing seat belt” and “Deadly summer on Quebec roads.” Such tragic news stories are all too real and sobering.
The fact is that most collisions involve human error. The pandemic lockdown has resulted in less traffic, and yet there’s something disturbing about the amount of reported speeding accidents and road deaths. The yellow warning light is blinking, so let’s try to pay attention.
I drive less often these days so I’m a worse driver
This is not just my opinion. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that driving infrequently can lead to a quick loss of certain skills and reflexes – your reaction time might get slower, for example, or you might fail to check your blind spots, drive faster than the speed limit, or pass a cyclist without proper clearance. All of this may seem harmless, but it affects your driving and endangers the safety of all road users.
Reduced traffic also creates a false sense of security, and experts worry it may cause drivers to adopt unsafe driving habits even after the pandemic has passed. It’s certainly not a licence to drive at high speeds, especially in residential areas or around schools. And yet, regardless of awareness campaigns, excessive speeding offences are proliferating.
Come home alive, someone’s waiting for you
As the year comes to an end, it’s a particularly good time to remind everyone that road safety is also a collective responsibility. Taking care to do the right things behind the wheel can make a huge difference because the lives of our passengers and other road users are in our hands.
Our commitment to pursue the awareness efforts spearheaded by the CAA-Quebec Foundation remains as firm as ever. Let’s hope the holiday season is an opportunity to remind our loved ones that buckling up their seat belts means there will be 150 fewer deaths or serious injuries on the roads next year, that colliding with a pedestrian at 30 kilometres per hour can mean a 90-percent chance of survival for the victim but at 50 kilometres per hour means only a 25-percent chance of survival (source: SAAQ), and that blind spots are not insurmountable. These measures, and many others, depend entirely on our willingness to act accordingly. A powerful incentive, don’t you think?
The year 2020 has forced us to adapt to a new reality as we struggle to curb the pandemic. It would be a disaster if the ABCs of road safety fell by the wayside in the process. Awareness efforts, police presence and road-network restructuring help, of course, but we are first and foremost masters of our own fate – and actions – behind the wheel.
Wherever our destination, we all have excellent reasons to reach it alive.