The Age Letters: Thou shalt do all thou can to drive safely – 30 September, 2006

In light of the latest carnage on our roads, I wonder how a campaign around “The 10 Commandments of Road Safety” would go towards helping curb the road toll? My suggested 10:

• Thou shalt honour the roads and all road users, be they drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists – so that they and their kin shall be long upon this earth.
• Thou shalt not make false Gods of power, speed and ego.
• Thou shalt know the road rules and laws and regularly refresh thy memory.
• Thou shalt know how to handle any vehicle in any emergency, in any place and at any time of the day or night and should ensure thy vehicle is always roadworthy.
• Thou shalt not drive or wander along highways and byways after drinking alcohol excessively, taking dangerous drugs and not feeling in good health.
• Thou shalt always draw governments, traffic authorities, police and local council attention to road hazards, dangerous corners or intersections, poor street lighting and any condition requiring action – and not let up till action is taken..
• Thou shalt drive carefully every day, but even more so at the weekend when more vehicles and young people are out and about. Thou shalt take care to ensure young people, particularly going or coming from schools, are safe at all times.
• Thou shalt ensure thy seat belt is always harnessed and the belts of others with you.
• Thou shalt always leave early so that thou will not have to speed to reach some destination, ending up reaching eternity sooner than thou or thy passengers needed.
• Thou shalt ensure thy attitude is always road-safety minded and in control of thy vehicle and not threaten others or thyself with thy driving. Other people’s lives are important as thine.

Above all, thou should be fair dinkum about road safety at all times, everywhere and anywhere.

Stan Marks, South Caulfield

The fatigue factor

Discussion of Tuesday’s horrific accident at Donald has focused heavily on the design of the intersection. Surely another relevant factor must have been driver fatigue. The car driver had driven some 570 kilometres in the seven-and-a-half hours before the crash and had passed a number of warning signs, including a large “reduce speed” sign, before coming to the give-way sign at the intersection.

Another factor that also needs to be investigated is the cause of the fire that quickly engulfed both vehicles and meant that none of the occupants could be rescued from the wrecks. A simple focus on engineering solutions may cause us to overlook other highly relevant factors in this tragedy.

Brian Brasier, Donald