Drivers need to be more aware

It should be of concern to us all that the latest figures for fatalities on Somerset’s roads, released this month, show that in 2016 25 people were killed in 23 fatal collisions. Although this is below the targets set by SCC, the figures show an increase when compared with 2015.

Using latest Department for Transport figures, the 23 fatal collisions are estimated to have cost more than £46 million in damage and lost output, not including the emotional impact of the irreplaceable loss of a family member.

Despite the UK being the 2^nd safest country in the world there were over 186,000 injuries recorded on our roads in 2015; and that is just those that were reported.

Living in a rural area, and witnessing on a daily basis the behaviour of drivers along our narrow country roads, it was no surprise to me to find that 14 of the fatalities in Somerset occurred on rural roads. Contrary to popular belief, the overwhelming majority of casualties were over the age of 59, not the young tearaways and boy racers many of us might think.

This is in line with the increasingly high percentage of those well over retirement age who choose to settle in the south west, many of whom should think twice before venturing out in onto the roads.

There are frequently calls for road safety to be improved.

Overall I think that I am a reasonably good driver, but as someone who drives almost 1000 miles per week I feel strongly that although there is certainly room for improvement, it is our own behaviour as drivers that is almost exclusively to blame for incidents that occur. This was really brought home to me when I recently attended a national Speed Awareness Course in Taunton. Almost without exception we were middle aged, and to all intents and purposes seemingly upstanding, law-abiding citizens. Clearly that wasn’t the case, or we would not have been there. Going back to school to learn the error of my ways, having had a clean driving license for many years, was a sobering experience. In the run-up to attending the course (in order to avoid gaining points on my licence), I took a straw poll of friends and colleagues which revealed that almost without exception everyone I knew had at some point been required to attend such a course.

During the course of the day I learnt that 95% of collisions are down to driver error, with rural roads being the foremost danger area; motorways accounting for just 4% of collisions. Having passed my test 40 years ago I was surprised just how much of the Highway Code I had forgotten and was also forced to consider that it is the complacent familiarity of the roads within one’s immediate neighbourhood that is the key cause of careless driving. Having taken on board some of the tips suggested, I have now made a concerted effort to change my driving habits, and as a result of my experience in attending this course, I believe that it should become compulsory for us all to do so every five years or so, just to keep us on our toes.  

It seems ironic that as the local communities I represent call for a reduction in speeding limits, or safety measures to be put in place, that very little action is taken unless an incident has already taken place; all a bit late if it happens to involve a loved one.