There seems to be an epidemic in the country at the moment, and I don't mean any type of flu. It seems that there has been a spate of hit-and-run accidents in the news recently. It may be that after my recent call I have become a little more sensitised to seeing these things in the news, or it may be that there really has been a sudden increase.
There are, on average, ten people killed every day on Britain's roads. And nothing seems to be bringing down that number. But more worryingly, those involved seem to be becoming more callous. I don't profess for one moment that I have the answers to either of these problems. Some suggestions maybe. Having lived in various different countries over the years, I've seen how different places try to deal with the same problem, with varying degrees of success. One of the ideas I've seen, rather than using shock tactics, is using reality.
At the end of every day a list is released. It includes the number of accidents that have occurred, the number of people injured (including degree of injury), and most importantly the number of those killed. This list is then published in the national press. Every day. It appears on TV news. On the internet. On the radio. Every day. Slowly but surely the tide seems to be turning. There seems to be a shift in public awareness.
Here, the fatalities make the local news at best. RTA's with major injuries don't even do that unless the Motorway's been shut for several hours, and then it only makes the traffic reports. We need to do something to drag ourselves out of our apathy and callousness.
Send those who are responsible for serious RTA's for a week's work and observation to a rehabilitation centre where the victims of their actions are trying to piece their lives back together. Show them the reality of their crimes.
Reality is often scarier than fiction. Maybe we all need a dose of reality to help rid us of another epidemic.
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