Road safety is the responsibility of everyone

On Sept. 26 I was one of many drivers stopped by the RCMP at the Annapolis Royal exit. They were checking for proper use of the seatbelt. Some drivers may have thought that this was time wasted, but this was an incredibly valuable 10 minutes.

I have been driving since I was 16 and even when they were not mandatory my mother insisted I use the belt. However, since the introduction of the shoulder harness, I have been casually slipping it under my arm thinking that I was protected. My excuse was that seatbelts were obviously designed by a man. The strap was relatively uncomfortable and I had an air bag. An air bag does not protect you from being thrown from the vehicle, the shoulder harness does.

A driver’s licence is a privilege. With that privilege comes an awesome responsibility. A motor vehicle in the hands of a person who is acting irresponsibly or recklessly is a multi-ton lethal weapon. To minimize the potential for injury to self or others, it is paramount that we all use the safety equipment available – seat belts, child car seats etc. – and that we operate the vehicle with maximum care and caution.

For years we have heard about the need to twin highways to prevent accidents. I don’t know about you, but when I set my cruse control for the limit, on even twined sections of the 101, I have people passing me as if I was standing still. Regardless of road conditions, there is always some person who thinks that they can go faster than you are traveling.

We have heard the expression familiarity breeds contempt. This is definitely the case when you frequently drive a particular route or spend a lot of time in your vehicle. On long treks I use my headset for my cell phone but I have, on occasion, stuck it under my chin when I just had to answer some call or another. Bad move. This is a distraction. When you are trying to balance a phone or fiddling with the CD player etc., you reduce your response time to an unexpected event.

Motor vehicle safety is a major concern. According to the World Health Organization road traffic injuries represent about 25 per cent of worldwide injury-related deaths, with an estimated 1.2 million fatalities each year. Major factors in accidents include driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; inattentive driving or driving while fatigued; encounters with road hazards such as snow, potholes, and crossing animals; or reckless driving.

Our emergency professionals, RCMP, paramedics and fire services, have the grim task of responding to motor vehicle accidents, many of which could be avoided or injury minimized if we as citizens took a closer look at how we conduct ourselves on our roadways.

Routine stops like this are wake up calls. They remind us that we each have a role to play in making our communities safer. (Kristy@ns.sympatico.ca)