The police holiday road safety campaign has done little to reduce fatal road accidents, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.
Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an active road safety campaigner, says:
“In 2012 there were no fatalities over Easter. In 2013 there were three, despite a tough anti-speeding campaign. Now we have an even worse road toll for Easter 2014. Could the police please admit the obvious: that their campaigns haven’t worked?"
“When the holiday road toll drops, the police claim credit. When the holiday road toll rises, as it did for the last two years, the police blame the motorists. They can’t have it both ways.”
"I know that the police are sincerely trying to lower the road toll by targeting illegal speeding, but the sad reality is that about 80% of fatalities occur at speeds below the legal limit. Of the 20% of fatal accidents that occur over the speed limit, most involve either motorcyclists, or young, working-class males on the edge of the criminal community who are often blotto or tired or both. The government’s own studies show this.”
“Ticketing mums and dads taking the kids on holiday will not lower the road toll, because mums and dads taking the kids on holiday rarely cause accidents, unless fatigue or alcohol are involved.”
“While the police target mums and dads, the high risk groups continue to end up injured or dead. Trying to lower the road toll by targeting relatively innocent motorists is a tragic waste of police resources.”
Matthew-Wilson believes technology is the key to lowering the road toll further.
“Most of the serious accidents over the holiday break occurred where the road or the vehicle didn’t protect the occupants from their own mistakes. Simple technology such as rumble strips, roadside fencing and centre medium barriers would have prevented many of the serious accidents over the holiday period.”
