The dangers of driving

The one inescapable fact of a New Zealand holiday period is the deaths occurring on our roads.

Over many years, there have been massive campaigns by the police and New Zealand Transport Agency capturing public attention, just not in a way to lower the road toll in a meaningful and long-term way.

The campaigns included Ghost Chips, the rather sad advertisement where a speeding motorist had an imaginary conversation with a driver with his young son in the back seat, and the more recent one of a speeding driver eventually hobbling up the driveway of the man he hit to make amends.

But still the accidents happen, as graphically illustrated yesterday on the front page of the Otago Daily Times. The accident report does not make pleasant reading. Two men died in a high-speed head-on collision just north of Glenavy on Tuesday. Speed was the contributing factor.

Other accidents included five people being injured in the Lindis Pass and six people hurt in a crash in South Canterbury.

In Auckland, a 20-year-old man who allegedly ran a red light in his Mercedes-Benz and crashed into a taxi, killing the driver, blew more than three times over the legal limit.

Alcohol and speed certainly contribute to the misery of road accidents no matter how these incidents are viewed.

Research from professional insurance attorneys, in the United States, says nearly every driver is aware speeding is dangerous. They are taught this fact in their driver's education courses before getting their licences. Doubtless, they have heard plenty of public messages stating the same message. Yet, they continue to speed and contribute to the yearly carnage of speeding-relating fatalities.

Why do they do this? It appears there is no one single reason.

Familiarity can often bring carelessness with driving. If a person drives the same route often, they know every curve and intersection like the back of their hand.

The ability to anticipate the route, combined with muscle memory, can cause the driver to go faster. Familiarity also breeds confidence which does away with any concerns about safety, the reason why most accidents happen near one's home.

The research shows when people fail to allow enough time to safely get to their destination, they make up for this by driving faster. It also causes them to drive more aggressively to get around slower drivers or through red lights.

In New Zealand, and other jurisdictions, thrill seeking can be a major cause of carnage on roads. Mainly young male drivers in their 20s and possibly early 30s drive fast to give themselves an adrenaline rush. Sometimes, alcohol is consumed to enhance the thrill.

These are the motorists who pass you as if you are standing still, even when you are doing 100kmh on an open highway. Owning and driving fast cars is one way of belonging to the ''in crowd''. Posting online videos of fast and dangerous drivers is a way of life for bored young people.

Overrating your own driving abilities can cause accidents. People with years of driving experience often believe they can handle any experience thrown up at them on the road. This is often not true.

The saddest part of the equation is that those drivers who do drive carefully, sticking to the speed limit and taking extra precautions during peak travel times, still get hurt or killed.

Excessive speed from other drivers makes it particularly difficult to respond safely. And, if you are at a blind corner and a driver cuts across at excessive speed, there is literally nowhere to go.

Families can play their part in keeping the road toll down by urging family members to exercise caution. In general, adults do not pass on good driving habits to their children who may be watching movies or video games in which speeding and stunt driving is glorified.

But even a group of adults can talk about the dangers of speeding or drinking and driving, instilling better habits in themselves and others.

Of all the conversations people want to have with others, talking about road safety should be close to the top of the list.