| Active
Citizenship: One
Small Step... One Giant Leap. |
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| Introduction. |
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| If a country has consistently high Road
Fatalities... requiring a systematic change in its entire Road Culture... this will be
very difficult to achieve without a sophisticated multi-strategy
approach. Simply punishing drivers in ever greater numbers is not going to bring about
the desired effect. [See blinkx
Videos for more Information and News Stories on this subject.] |
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| Countries need to take a close look at similar
countries with consistently lower fatality rates... identify their own problem
areas... and adopt best practise methods in... Training: Licensing: Education:
Engineering: Enforcement: Legislation: Road Rules: Monitoring: Re-training: Social
Pressure: Punishment: the application of New Technology: etc. etc.
etc. [There are multiple choices in every aspect of Road Safety so the
final outcome is infinitely varied.]
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| Even getting one
Law passed can take years so it is highly unlikely that any Government is
going to adopt a radical system such as 'Road Supervisors' in one giant leap.
But a Government could make a positive move towards an Information based
system... one small
step at a time... in a number of different areas. Supporting any parts which facilitates the use of
Information... engages drivers in a pro-active way... promotes 'Active
Citizenship'... or any existing programmes which operate along similar lines. |
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| For instance... by introduce a
Graduated licensing system: compulsory 'P' plates: a 100 point penalty system:
or supporting various "How's my
Driving?" type schemes. [Read... Village
vigilantes go for their speed guns. About
a scheme that allows village volunteers to catch speeding motorists which is
spreading rapidly across Britain.] |
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| This section just
takes a brief look at various aspects of this system that could be
introduced without a Government making any definite commitment to a more
radical scheme. |
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| Graduated
licences. |
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| Many countries
have already introduced various graduated licensing schemes... where drivers gradually gain more and more rights as they gain
experience... or probationary schemes, where they risk losing rights if they get into
trouble. |
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| The kind of system that we have outlined where a driver
goes from a Learner's Licence: to a restricted Probationary Licence: then
on to a Full Licence: [with the prospect of being demoted back to the
restricted Probationary Licence if they accumulate too many points:] could
easily be introduced whether a Government was considering some kind of
Road Supervisor scheme or not. |
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| It is better for a driver to spend 12
months on a Probationary Licence... with compulsory 'P' plates... and having
some restrictions to the vehicles they can use... than to instantly face a 6
month driving ban the moment they accumulate 12 points. |
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| Report - Points
System. |
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| In our example we
say that every Report from a Road Supervisor would put one more Point on a
person's licence under a 100 point system... but of course there are any
number of ways this type of system could be run. At present the British
Government are looking at changing from a 12 point system to a 20 point
system...
but it would be little more effort to make a complete change and introduce a 100 point system. |
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It is also possible to have a Reporting system and a Points system run as two entirely separate
entities. Reports might come from... any member of the Public: Road
Supervisors: or just the Police, and not count as Points. A person
might be Reported 50 times... 100 times and still have no Points on their
licence because they had never been charged with any offence... or have
quite a few points on their licence but never been Reported for bad
driving by another road user. |
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| So if Reports did
not count as penalty Points, why bother having them? Well,
having large quantities of Information could still form the basis of... Targeted Education: Social Pressure:
Enforcement Policies: or even Punishment. When a driver was Reported
they could be sent a copy of the Report... an Educational Insert, explaining what they
should be doing... and even a Warning Letter from the Police. Copies
of these Reports could also help inform Employers or Parents about any
problems: [in exactly the same way as present "How's my
driving?" type schemes.] |
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| They could also be made available to
Instructors running courses... the Police... or the Courts. In fact almost
anything outlined under this system could still be applicable except there
would be two totally separate systems to look at... how many times had the
person been Reported by other drivers... and how many Points did they have on
their licence. |
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| Possibly the
Police could make out a Ticket [Report] for minor offences without
actually stopping a vehicle: [which might carry a standard Fine plus
Points.] When appearing in Court charged with an offence any Reports
might be taken into consideration when deciding on the level of Fine and
how many Points to deduct. |
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| Details about the Reports and Points might
be made available on a website where they could be accessed by... Parents:
Employers: potential
Employers: Insurance Companies: Car Hire Companies: etc. At some
time in the future it might then be decided that there should only be one
system and Reports do become Points. |
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| "How's my driving?"
schemes. |
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| There are
different "How's my driving?" type schemes in a number of
countries... and some have reduced accident rates by more than 20%. This
basically gives any member of the public the opportunity to ring up and
complain about someone's driving to their Employer. In some
countries such as U.S.A. there are companies which have been set up
specifically to handle this problem. Instead of phoning the Company direct
they phone a third party who takes down the details... makes out a
report... and
e-mail/post the results to the client. There is no reason why a
Government could not start... or support this type of scheme: [gradually
enrolling more and more companies.] |
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| Obviously less
accidents means lower Insurance premiums for Employers so there is already
a Financial incentive. This system only requires... a bumper sticker: a
call centre: and an e-mail system to pass on reports. Nothing technically
difficult... and could easily be expanded over time to include... small
companies: sole traders: probationary drivers: etc. This type of
scheme could also be used to... send out targeted Education: to
bring about Social Pressure: or even result in a visit from the local
Police for serious and persistent offenders. |
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| Road
Supervisors. |
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| At present some
Information can be gathered from two extremes... at one end of the scale there are
Employers who are participating in "How's my driving?"
type schemes... where anyone can phone up and make a
complaint. Information is not gathered in any consistent way... the
general quality may be poor... there are no central Records... and there are
no specific strategies for dealing with the problems. |
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| Or there are
unmarked Police cars which may be carrying onboard cameras which can film
offences as they take place. The Information is top quality... but
there's relatively little of it... and the strategies for dealing with the
problems usually just means handing out some form of Punishment. |
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| Either of these
systems could be extended, i.e. unmarked Police cars could simply make
out Reports for minor offences... off duty Police Officers could report
serious incidents to their Headquarters using mobile phones... either/both
of these could be gradually extended to include other members of the Law
Enforcement Community: the Armed Services: registered Driving Instructors: etc.
etc. [One area in Britain is already using the RAC motoring
organisation as an 'Information Feeder'. Their breakdown vehicles
are often parked-up... waiting for a call... and are in good positions to
witness illegal activities. Now they just get on the phone to their
local Police.] |
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| From the other
end...
a Government could be much more supportive of these "How's my
driving?" type schemes... encouraging more Employers to join.
Setting up a
website so that people could... |
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- Making sure that all
the right Information was gathered.
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- Sending on the Information to
Employers.
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- Allowing Parents to voluntarily sign up in order to keep an eye
on their newly qualified teenage kids.
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- Using it as a basis for sending out
targeted Educational Inserts.
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- Giving the Police and Courts access to
Information.
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- Allowing
a person's driving record to be viewed online by potential Employers:
Insurance companies: Car Hire companies: etc. etc.
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| The objective
would be... for these two systems to meet somewhere in the middle... in some form of a
Road Supervisor scheme. So, any experienced driver could sign up... |
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- Every driver would be subject to being
Reported.
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- Information
gathered via the reporting system would be made available to a variety of
people for different reasons.
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- And a whole range of official strategies
would be developed which would use... Motivation: Deterrents: Targeted
Education: Social Pressure: Enforcement Policies: and Punishment... as a
means of changing driver behaviour.
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| Information
available. |
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| If
a central
record was being kept of every Licence... how many Points a driver had... and
possibly how many times they had been Reported by other drivers... then it
would not be that difficult to make this Information available via a
website. |
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| If someone went overseas and wanted to hire a car it should
be possible for the car hire company to... access the website: type in the
Licence number: and see all the details appear: i.e. photograph: age:
address: points total: how many times reported for bad driving: any fines:
details of any convictions: etc. so as to help companies make decisions
about... whether to make the hiring: premiums: restrictions: insurance rates: etc. |
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This type of Information could also be available to... Parents: Employers:
Potential Employers: Insurance Companies: Course Instructors: Police: Courts: etc.
Having an Information based system simply means that there is... |
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- More
Information available.
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- It's presented in a variety of ways.
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- It makes the process of decision
making that much more efficient.
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| Driver
Behaviour. |
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| The point of a
Review Panel is to look at an individual's behaviour in detail and rectify
the problems rather than just Fine the person and let them go... which is
what generally happens in a Court. Sometimes drivers are made to
undergo some form of re-training like attending a course... but existing courses
don't really work that well... |
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- The Instructors know little or nothing about
the drivers who are attending the courses.
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- The course itself is not
necessarily appropriate to their problems.
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- They have no way of
monitoring any progress.
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- Immediately after a course many drivers
will go straight back to their old bad habits and not a single thing will
have been achieved.
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| A new system might just utilise its
existing course structure... but an efficient reporting system should
make Instructors a lot more effective because... |
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- They would be able to access a file...
giving a very good insight into the driver's behaviour.
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- They would be able to address very
specific problems... relevant to each individual.
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- They
would have some means of monitoring their progress after the course.
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It is difficult to see how any real progress could be made in this area
without a system that is supplying good quality Information. |
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| Pilot
Schemes. |
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| The Community Speed Watch
Project. Some Police forces are showing interest in a project run in Cheshire,
England... where
Police in conjunction with the local council supply speed guns to local
people who monitor
speeding motorists. They make themselves highly visible, wearing fluorescent
jackets: [for safety: and as a deterrent] take down the details... and pass them on to the Police. Police then send a warning
letter to the registered owner... or will bring in officers to track down and prosecute the
offenders. [Read... Village
vigilantes] |
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| Anyone who is 18 years old or above can volunteer, with
no upper age limit. Police say they are not
looking for vigilantes but people who are community-concerned... and that
this would be a more efficient use of resources as it would free Officers
up to deal with more serious crime. Supporters say it gives communities the means to improve
their circumstances especially in rural areas. |
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| One System... Many
Projects. This
kind of Project is consistent with the general philosophy of a Road
Supervisor's scheme. Having something like a Road Supervisor
scheme... and holding Local Branch
Meetings [as outlined under 'Review
Panels'] would provide one permanent
structure where these kind of Projects could easily be organised and
controlled... providing an instant supply of volunteers. If
one of these Projects proved to be ineffective... then their
energies could be refocused in a different area... rather than
scrapping the whole system and having to start from scratch
again. It would also help in developing good
relations between... local People: the Police: and the Authorities. |
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| The Community
Pace Car Scheme. A scheme being introduced around Britain.
Some Road Safety Chiefs are asking drivers to act as 'Rolling
Roadblocks'... in an attempt to force speeding drivers to slow down.
Recruits would promise to observe speed limits at all times... and carry
'Warning Stickers' in their rear windows. Some Motoring
Organisations have condemned the idea... saying that it is a recipe for
conflict... that it will provoke incidents of tailgating, dangerous
overtaking, undertaking and road-rage.
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| [We would agree... the
scheme is also too limited... it only targets speeding... and there
are likely to be as many drawbacks as benefits.] On the
upside... the Authorities say that thousands of drivers have
volunteered to take part... which is a good sign for any 'Active
Citizenship' type schemes. But, what will they do if the
scheme proves to be unsuccessful? They will probably scrap it
and any positive effects will be lost. Where as... if it was
part of a broader based concept... then the efforts of the
volunteers could be refocused in a different direction... say on
reporting bad driving over the Internet. |
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| Norfolk, UK.
Feb 2008, four schools in the county of Norfolk... where parent, teachers and
pupils have had enough of speeding drivers... are pioneering a
scheme with the aid of local police. Police stop speeding
drivers and give them a choice... a £60 fine and 3 points on their
licence... or they can just get "told-off" by some of the
children from the school. More take the second choice... and
according to the police... being told-off and asked to be more
thoughtful in future by the children has a lot more impact than
being told-off or fined by the police. Drivers said they did
feel embarrassed and ashamed... and promised to be more careful in
future. A very good example of using "Social
Pressure" to change behaviour.
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| In
New Zealand. There was a pilot scheme whereby any member of the public could report someone for
dangerous driving... a copy of the complaint would be sent to the registered
owner... if a driver was reported 3 times within a year the Police would
call around to their home and speak to them about their driving habits. Rarely did they
need to call back and see someone a second time. |
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| In Australia.
January 2006... South Australian MP Dr. Bob Such proposes the introduction
of a "Dob-in-a-dodgy-driver" scheme. This idea was based
on the New Zealand model... drivers would be able to report a range of transgressions
to the Police via... e-mail: phone or fax. Police would contact the
registered owner and advise them of the complaint.
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| In
Nigeria. The Federal Road Safety
Commission [FRSC] is charged with responsibilities for policymaking,
organization and administration of road safety in Nigeria. Key to
its operational success is its "Corps of Marshals" operating a
three-tier system.
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- First Tier [Regular Marshals]
These uniformed men and women are in the employment of the Federal
Road Safety Commission. They perform all duties assigned to them
by the Corps including, and most especially, the reduction of road
traffic accidents in Nigeria. They are the strongest and most
visible arm of the Corps and are called Regular Marshals.
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- Second Tier [Special Marshals]
These are volunteers of proven integrity who have considerable
interest and expertise in road safety. They do not wear uniforms
but are empowered, like the Regular Marshals to arrest and prosecute
traffic offenders, give lectures, offer research services and advise
in their areas of professional competence. Called the Special
Marshals, they primarily assist the regular marshals.
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- Third Tier [Road Safety Club]
Youths in schools and colleges are organized into road safety clubs at
the primary, secondary, tertiary and National Youth service Corps
[one-year compulsory service after university graduation]
levels. Unlike the Regular and the Special Marshal, they do not
patrol the highways. Rather, they are encouraged to imbibe road
safety culture from an early age and demonstrate these in their school
activities. [See... FRSC
- Nigeria.]
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| In South
Africa. They have set
up a National Traffic Call Centre... where members of the public who have
volunteered to become "Traffic Observers" can make reports by phone...
or online about a whole
range of dangerous and corrupt activity. Volunteers need to
register, but do not need to be drivers or car owners. A copy of any
report is sent to the registered owner... and any persistent offenders
will get a visit from their local Traffic Police. [See... Arrive
Alive - South Africa.]
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| In Florida
USA. In central Florida they have a
fleet which cruises up and down a 74-mile stretch of the I-4 offering free
help to stranded motorists... and trying to minimize traffic congestion
caused by breakdowns. These "Road
Ranger" trucks are equipped to make minor car repairs... assist with
non-injury accidents... and communicate with law enforcement and emergency
services. The service, provided by the Florida Department of
Transportation, include...
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- Minor vehicle repairs [tire changes,
fuel/fluid replacement, belt and hose replacement, etc.]
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- Removal of vehicles from travel lanes.
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- Securing minor, non-injury accident
scenes.
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- Debris removal from the roadway.
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- Free use of a cell phone to contact
assistance.
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| In
Britain. The Highways Agency have introduced a kind of Highway Patrol... which
do
not have the powers available to Police to pursue offenders or make
arrests... but can deal with... minor accidents: breakdowns: traffic jams:
road reports: etc. which free Police up to pursue more serious
crime. Recruits still need to be trained... equipped with
vehicles... and paid... so it is not a particularly low-cost solution.
They are expecting to recruit about 1000 people... which is not that many to cover a
whole country 24/7. |
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| This
idea might prove to be
more effective if it was used in conjunction with a Road Supervisor's system which could
help direct their efforts and assist them when required. Under the
system outlined... they would be very similar to 'Senior' Road
Supervisors...
having close daily contact with the Police... but
working full-time in a paid occupation. They could get through heavy
traffic quickly be using Motorbikes and carry all the basic equipment in
order to deal with... |
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- Clear up
after Accidents.
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- Remove broken down
Vehicles.
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- Collect
Insurance details.
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- Summon the
Emergency Services.
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- Assist the Police when
required.
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- Help the Public to organise... tow-trucks:
breakdown services: alternative transport: etc. etc.
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- They could
also make out Reports about bad driving.
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- Move on
illegally parked vehicles.
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- Call the Police about any serious
incidents... like
reckless driving: etc.
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