Why do we Crash our Cars?

According to Paul Murray, speed does not kill. At least, it does not kill as much as inattention, carelessness, fatigue, failure to give way and recklessness. (Same tired message won't save more lives, The West, 28 Mar 09.)

In fact, that's not just, "according to Paul Murray". His article uses statistics of actual car crashes in WA. His main message is, that speed is not the prime cause of accidents -- so why do we focus on catching speeding motorists?

Aside: I just removed a freudian slip from my typing. I had typed "innattention" as the first cause of fatal car crashes. That double-n would have been clever, if intentional. Alcohol has top score in Murray's list of causes.

Do you need new -- lateral -- thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com. Need solutions? No worries. Now.

Murray is able to give "attitudinal factors" top ranking in the car crash cause statistics. He uses the simple expedient of grouping several causes into one, so the numbers add up to the top score. No worries: This dubious use of statistics is not the point that interested me... Anyway, is there any journalistic use of statistics that is not dubious?

The road toll in WA has increased, writes Murray, over a period in which "cars and roads got a lot safer".

Is this the real problem?

Is this the real problem: that cars and roads are getting "safer"?

Cars are safer, easier to drive. Roads are smoother, well designed, easier to drive along. We can afford to let our attention wander... Until the unexpected happens and we crash.

We take a few risks, we're feeling a bit tired, no worries: the car has all sorts of safety features, the roads are smooth and well designed, with safety in mind. It's okay to be a bit reckless, a bit careless, a bit sleepy -- until we crash.

There is no challenge to driving! There is nothing to demand our attention. Nothing that demands our full driving effort. Nothing to keep us concentrating, awake... Nothing -- until that sudden error, that sudden, unexpected danger. By then it is too late.

Spend less, save more

Stop spending millions on "safer", smoother, better planned roads. Let them deteriorate. Replace road repairs with signs, "Warning, bad road ahead." Save a lot of money on road building. Force motorists to be constantly aware, constantly on guard.

This has an extra -- proven -- bonus: automatic road calming. "Road calming" generally involves deliberate attempts to make roads more difficult to navigate. Small roundabouts, narrow roads, extended pedestrian areas to cause chicanes for drivers. All this has been found to slow traffic -- and to reduce overall use of cars! So let the roads get rougher, design for less traffic flow rather than more. And watch the use of cars -- and fuel -- decline.

Then remove some of the "safety" features from cars. The simplified suspension can't corner at high speed? Great! Drivers will feel uncomfortable enough -- while attempting to corner at high speed -- to slow down. You feel a bit uncomfortable, driving with a crumple zone which is only good for speeds up to 30 kph? Great, you may be uncomfortable enough to drive more carefully...

Safety features mean less safe driving

As we demand more safety features in our cars and on our roads, we drive less safely. Why bother paying attention, when our environment has been made so much safer?

At work, at school, on the sports ground, we are encouraged to strive to the limit of our ability. On the road, we do strive to the limit of our ability -- and to the limit of the ability of the car and road to protect us. Humans like to push the limits.

Make the roads and cars inherently dangerous. The limits that we push will be easier to reach -- at slower speeds.

Leave the obvious dangers in our driving environment. Every bump, every pothole, every sickening thump of the suspension, will remind us: pay attention, take care, keep awake...

Leave the risk and keep the drivers awake. Save money, save lives, save fuel. All good. All cheap.

Independent thinking & independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com