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Governments.
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Introduction.
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This system has the potential to deliver Human: Economic: and Environmental benefits: to the whole of
Society... without it
costing a fortune. But, these benefits will not come easy... just getting
one law passed can take years... so changing a whole system will take a lot
of effort... by a lot of people. Undoubtedly... there will also be a fair degree of
public apathy: political inertia: and [with so many earning a good living from the 'Accident
business'] a certain amount of outright opposition.
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This system does
represent change and many people simply do not like change... while others may
fear it is some kind of a threat to their personal freedom or liberties: [and indeed, if
they are individuals that blatantly flout the law on a regular basis and abuse
everyone that crosses their path... their fears would be fully justified!]
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We cannot emphasise enough this system is not 'anti' anything... it is not
against the Government... it is not against the Police... they both have very
important roles to play: [this cannot succeed without them] rather it is 'for'
things...
it seeks to 'share the burden'... to encourage civic responsibility... and to build
working relationships.
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It is possible for everyone to share in the responsibility of creating a 'Safe,
Considerate and Courteous' environment on the roads... 'people may be the
major problem...
but people also offer the best solution'.
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Individuals.
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Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death and injury for young
people [especially young men aged 17-21. Even higher where 16 year olds can
legally drive.] Every serious accident
has a major effect on a large number of individuals... not just for those who are
killed and injured... but also for a much larger number of family and friends.
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| As an 'Individual' there
are many potential benefits to this system...
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| * Less
chance of being killed or injured.
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| * Less chance of ending up in
prison.
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| * Lower
insurance costs.
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| * Less
frustration.
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| * Less traffic hold
ups.
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| * More control.
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| * More
responsibility.
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| * More opportunity to actively participate in
Society... etc. etc.
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| Injuries. |
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| With road accidents there will probably be something like
ten times as many people seriously and permanently injured as there are
killed. Young drivers in particular tend to give little thought to the
full implications of being involved in a serious road accident... with all the
trauma and life changing consequences it can entail. Something that might
have started out as a 'bit of fun'... can end up causing injuries like... burns:
facial scars: loss of limbs: paralysis: and brain damage: which may last a
lifetime and which no amount of regret... remorse... or wishful thinking... can undo.
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Punishment... |
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forms... points on the licence: driving bans: fines: seizure of a vehicle: community
orders: probation: or imprisonment. These things happen to thousands of people each
year: [and
it can be argued that they deserve it] and can cause major disruption to
lives. The objective is not to be more lenient on serious and persistent law
breakers... but to
ensure that their punishment will be inevitable... unless they conform to an
acceptable
standard of behaviour.
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| Ultimately... a better
standard of driving and a higher rate of compliance to the rules
would mean less punishments of every kind.
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| Costs. |
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| The most obvious cost reduction would be in insurance
premiums... less accidents means lower costs. Even if it means an increase
for those with poor records... for the majority it would mean a reduction.
Less accidents and a quicker removal from the road of minor accidents and
breakdowns means drivers would find themselves sitting in long traffic
jams less often... this in turn means less wear and tear on vehicles... and lower
fuel costs: [though these may not be that significant for one individual.]
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Attitudes. |
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| These changes could make a real difference to the everyday
experience of being out on the road and the way we think about it. When
you see someone clearly behaving badly: [for instance... illegally using a bus
lane] it can be very frustrating to see them actually benefiting from
it... the
law-abiding sit in the queue... the law-breaker sails straight past. It does
make a difference knowing that these people are not going to get away with
it. Many drivers also get very stressed while driving... some feel quite
vulnerable especially if they are being intimidated by the aggressive behaviour
of others. Some people might worry about having an accident... or breaking down...
and having to cope on their own... but with Road Supervisors... help should never be
that far away. There are many things which could be done to make driving a
much more pleasant experience... and to give people a greater sense of control in their
lives.
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| Your Opinion.
We would like to hear your views on this
subject... for instance...
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* What are the things that most annoy or anger you out on the roads?
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* Would this system help alleviate the problem?
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* Would you want to become a Road Supervisor? just click Feedback
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Communities.
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The Road Supervisors' scheme is about giving local people the power to solve
their own problems. No one knows better the problems in an area than the
people who actually live there... and those with the authority to solve the
problems are usually sitting in some office miles away... completely unaware that the problem even exists. A call
to the local Police may have little success... they are often over stretched and
cannot spend their time dealing with local traffic problems. We fully
acknowledge the difficulties that Police forces face and in no way seek to apportion
blame... we only say that we should look at the way in which society is
'Policed'...
empower local people... make better use of the Police as a resource... and try to
build a closer relationship between ordinary people and their local Police
force.
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| Working
together to solve local problems is one way of doing this...
it encourages more people to participate in Society... gives them a greater sense of
control over their lives... and builds community spirit.
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| Local
problems... |
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| can be varied and
many... but most could be dealt with
under this system. Some problems might be... speeding drivers through a
village: past
a school: or down a residential street. Those making illegal left or right hand
turns... so
they can use quite residential roads as 'rat runs'... rather than use the main
through roads. Problems
associated with... pubs: bars: and clubs: like noise late at night: or problems with cars and motorbikes
racing: or
'cruising' [i.e. revving:
wheel screeching: skidding: shouting: load music.] Or maybe it's illegal dumping of
rubbish: nuisance parking: etc. etc. etc. Complaints to the local
Authorities by individuals are to easily dismissed... it would be much
better if there was a mechanism which made the Authorities more accessible
and accountable to the people.
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If the problem was cars speeding past your children's schools... then you would
have a definite reason to make contact with other parents or neighbours so as to
tackle the problem as a group: [building community links.] A couple of Road Supervisors
[parents] might use a whole three months points in a single morning...
all for the
same offence... vehicles 'using excessive speed' past a school. The next
morning some different Road Supervisors might be there doing exactly the same
thing... and the next morning... and the next morning... until drivers got the message
and the situation was brought under control.
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| Your Opinion.
We would like to know...
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* What are the problems in your community?
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* Would this system help you come together in order to tackle the problem?
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* If not, Why? just click Feedback
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Society.
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This looks at those aspects of change which everyone would benefit from
whether they were the driver of a vehicle or not. We nearly all use the roads in
some capacity... less hold ups means the average time
for journeys would drop... less time on the roads means less pollution and cleaner
air... everyone would benefit from that at least!
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Lower Costs. |
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| Figures are published each year about the financial costs
of road accidents to a country's economy. There are many ways this figure
can be calculated: like...
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- How much do insurance companies pay out in accident
claims: [paid by insurance premiums.]
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- There are direct costs... for those who deal
with accidents and their aftermath... Police: Ambulance: Para-medics: Fire:
Hospital: Rehabilitation: and Social Services: [paid for by the taxpayer.]
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- There are indirect costs... sometimes after an accident a queue will
build up for miles... with thousands of vehicles waiting... every one of them burning
additional fuel.
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- Every commercial vehicle running up extra costs: overtime
payments: late deliveries: passengers paying for taxis but going nowhere: or
taxis empty and earning nothing: the self employed unable to get to jobs: people
late for meetings: others missing planes and trains: [all this paid for by
individuals or companies.]
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However it is calculated... in purely Economic terms... Road Accidents are an
incredible waste of resources!
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Less Stress. |
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| Driving is very stressful for a lot of people and for a
variety of reasons. It can be stressful for anyone stuck in long traffic
queues... especially when they have deliveries to make... or when they are trying to
get to an important meeting: catch a plane: train: etc. Having to
deal with aggressive: abusive: and inconsiderate drivers can also be
stressful... this system should
alleviate these problems and help produce a more civil Society.
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Lower Crime Rate. |
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| Car crime... in all its different forms is paid for
by the whole community... both economically and socially. Less serious
accidents should mean less people spending time in prison. If Road
Supervisors enabled the Police to spend less time concentrating on the roads and
allowed them to use their resources more effectively... they would have a lot more time to concentrate on other
forms of crime. Everyone would benefit from the overall lower crime rates.
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Better Health Care. |
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| It is a major trauma losing someone close to
you...
those affected will usually require some time away from work... possibly on sick
leave or compassionate leave. Some may end up
having to give up work permanently in order to become the primary carer of
someone who has been seriously or permanently injured. With road accidents
putting such a heavy demand on the Health Care system a significant reduction
would mean that valuable resources could be concentrated in other
areas. [Travelling abroad? check out...
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| Civic Responsibility. |
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| This system encourages participation in
Society... give people
responsibility and more often than not... they will act responsibly. The
more citizens feel they are an active part of a Society [rather than just
being controlled by it,] the more likely they are to consider Society as a whole
in their actions. Anti-social behaviour comes in many forms... whether this
is playing music at an unreasonable volume...
throwing rubbish out of car windows... or not paying taxes. But... 'Participation
encourages Responsibility'... in every aspect of Society!
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| Emergencies.
Most
countries struggle to cope when suddenly hit by a major catastrophe:
[i.e. Earthquakes: Bush Fires: Extreme Weather: wide spread failure
of the Electricity System: Terrorist Strikes: etc.] When
Emergency Services are suddenly stretched beyond their limits then
ordinary citizens unexpectedly find themselves in the
frontline. If you have this type of mass participation system
in place then you can inform people about various National Emergency
scenarios: what they should do... to assist the Emergency Services:
to maintaining the flow of traffic: to help injured victims: if
there is no Public Transport: etc. etc. In uncertain times
every Community needs to develop the ability to respond to a major
crisis with the co-ordination of an 'ant colony'... rather than a
load of headless chickens! |
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| Financial Readjustments. |
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| Road accidents are a multi-billion dollar
industry. Many people have jobs or businesses which rely on accidents and
their aftermath... so any sudden changes would mean disruption for some.
While many jobs might be lost there would be some created in other areas... the
main beneficiaries being in the I.T. and computer industries. This system
would see literally millions of reports being submitted each year... much of the
process could be fairly automated but there would still be a lot of data to be
read and dealt with in some way. It would probably need a central
computing office, [which could be sited in a town with high unemployment,] but
many of the data processing jobs could be dealt with on-line and could be done
by those working from home or living in remote areas.
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| A Fair Sentence. |
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| This is something that needs to be considered before the
event. The Police arrive at the door late one night... someone's child has been
killed... someone's child has been charged with 'causing death by dangerous
driving'. Either way... it's the start of a nightmare!
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Consider this scenario from both perspectives...
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- First... as a parent whose child has
just been killed by another young driver who has recklessly jumped a red
light... what sentence
do you think should be passed on the guilty offender?
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- Second... as a parent whose child
has just been charged with 'causing death by dangerous driving' after jumping a
red light... what sentence do you think should be passed on your child?
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The sentence
is 'Fair' only when both answers are the same!
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Accidents: Incidents... |
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and Suspicious vehicles. Apart from the millions
of reports which might be submitted each year about offences committed by individual drivers, there
could be other categories where 'Information' was collected, for instance...
about anyone acting 'Suspiciously': those secretly offering to sell cheap goods: kerb crawling: soliciting: driving away from
a filling station
without paying: anyone who appeared to be buying or selling drugs: etc.
etc. About
any 'Incidents'... where there was something definite to report... like 'road rage'
or deliberate vandalism: or 'Accidents'... where there was damage done to people or
property.
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| Any Reports of a sexual
nature, for instance... indecent exposure: soliciting: could be
vindictive...
so should probably be treated confidentially.
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| Accessing Information. |
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| Having gone to the bother of collecting a lot of
additional Information it would be important that Police could easily access it. With
'Real-Time' Information this
would be gathered and accessed at
the same time... but additional Information could be quickly added. If a
driver was being reported for 'erratic' driving, [possibly drink-driving] by a
Senior Road Supervisor who was recommending an 'Interception', the additional
Information might be... does this vehicle [or registered owner] have other reports
for 'erratic' driving? do they have a high points total? do they have previous
convictions for drink-driving? This additional Information may well be
decisive when deciding which vehicles to 'Intercept' as a priority.
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Suspect vehicles could be 'flagged' in some way: [possibly on a priority scale of
some kind] so, when a vehicle registration number was punched into
the Police computer it could instantly give details, convicted drink-driver: high points
total: suspicious activity:
possible drug dealer: vehicle
not registered at the correct address: outstanding parking tickets: etc. etc. and
priority given to 'Intercepting' those vehicles with the highest priority 'rating'.
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Police should be able to make a search and 'retrieve' Information in a variety of
ways: [which would
depend on the quality of the software.] For instance, looking for reports
about... any dark vehicle? this general area? at about this time? and see what the
computer comes up with. Or, if there was an accident in the
morning rush hour on a busy street... have any witnesses filed reports?
Maybe someone comes to a Police station and the side of their car has been
damaged... they are not sure where or when it was done. Punch in the car
registration number... and maybe they get lucky... there is a witness report...
someone saw another car back into it in a car park two days ago... the offender
just drove off. There are many ways that this type of Information might
prove useful when conducting an investigation into a crime.
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Sometimes with a minor accident... say denting a car in a car park... the person responsible will just drive away and hope that they were not
seen. With more serious accidents there may have been a number of
witnesses...
but everyone just leaves it to others and no one is left at the scene to
make a statement. With this system it would be easy to
log-on... fill out a quick
report and leave a contact address... which could be accessed by Police.
Looking for witnesses an hour after an accident happened? many could have
already disappeared... unsure if they were needed? late for work? any number of
reasons. Tracking down witnesses after they have left can be very
difficult and time consuming... but with some accidents it's possible there would
be reports left on the relevant website... for the Police... just a few clicks and
they could have their witness. [Possibly, could have one part of the website for Road Supervisors' reports and another where anyone could file a report
as a witness under these categories.] |
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Community Relations. |
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| When the introduction of large numbers of Speed
Cameras results in large numbers of fines and driving bans it is likely to prove very bad for
Community Relations. Inevitably, large numbers of otherwise law-abiding
citizens will be prosecuted while many of the most serious offenders will slip
through the net. This will cause widespread resentment towards the Police, and
this will spill over into every aspect of Policing... it will not be confined to
just one policy issue. This system by contrast, builds a close partnership
between the community and local Police... each playing an important role.
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Those who did collect large numbers of Points [Reports] would have no reason to resent the
Police... they would have been judged and found guilty be their fellow road users!
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For those who do like to operate at the very edge of the law and beyond,
[drivers banned, but still
driving:
those who don't
register their vehicles at the correct address: drive unroadworthy vehicles:
have no insurance: no tax: commit offences like speeding and don't pay the
fines:
have outstanding parking tickets: damage other vehicles and just drive off: or give
a false name and address: etc. etc. etc.] this would all come as very bad news. Sometimes drivers will do all of the afore mentioned, and finally when the
vehicle is of no use they will just dump it in the street, leaving the local
authorities to clear up the mess: [i.e. the taxpayer.]
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For all these offences
the culprits would know that just one Report... sent to the registered
address and returned... 'not known at this address' would mean that their vehicle would
be 'flagged'... and much more likely to be 'Intercepted'. Traffic wardens
could call for car clampers and seize the vehicle for a variety of reasons when
parked on the public roads.
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| 'Cloned' Vehicles.
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When a vehicle has been stolen it needs a new identity and the
simplest method is to use a 'cloned' identity. Basically, all
the criminals do is try to remove the engine and chassis numbers and
then find an identical vehicle: [i.e. a car... same year: make:
model:
colour: etc.] and have a new set of number plates made up. You
now have two cars driving around that are absolutely
identical. If this person is stopped by the Police they will
say they have just bought the car... and as no car with their number
plate has been reported stolen they can easily remain
undetected. If they get a parking ticket or caught in a speed
camera... the ticket is sent to the registered address of the genuine
vehicle. That owner may protest their innocence but it is hard
from them to prove that they were not at a particular place when
there is a photograph to prove that they were.
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With this system... these 'cloned' vehicles could be detected much
easier. Just one report and the owner of the vehicle should
have the option of saying to the Police, 'definitely not my vehicle,
mark it down as a possible clone'. A driver is unlikely to
request this just to avoid one or two reports... especially knowing
that they would be much more likely to be stopped. Police
could be informed to keep an eye out for these possibly 'cloned'
vehicles especially in the areas they had been reported. When
Police spotted one of these vehicles they would pull it over... make a
careful check of the driver's identification and have a look to see
if the other numbers of the vehicle had been tampered with...
something they would not routinely do. There are also
cameras that recognise car number plates and these could be
programmed to sound an alert on any vehicle which might have been
cloned.
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| When dealing with these
people... the most important thing
is
they have the perception that 'they are certain to get
caught... and that it isn't worth the risk'... and
so they do the right thing... however reluctantly... and 'Comply with the Law'... this is the ultimate
aim... not more Prosecutions... more Compliance! A more law-abiding Society!! |
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Courts.
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One of the most common offences which Courts have to deal with directly
relate to driving or vehicle crime of some sort. As with other
categories...
the less time spent on these
the more time there is for other things. Courts could deal with crime and
serious individual motoring offences... deciding issues of guilt or innocence and
handing out punishments of Fines: Driving bans: and Imprisonment: while Review
Panels could deal with those who were persistent offenders and concentrate on
turning them into better drivers.
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When a driver appears in Court... what does
the Court know about that person? [unless they have a criminal record, probably
very little.] Having recently killed someone... it can be very difficult to
assess whether it was a genuine accident or not... especially when there are no
reliable witnesses. If a driver appeared in Court accused of jumping a red
traffic light... and a three year
record with over 200 reports on 'File' detailing incidents of reckless driving:
speeding: tailgating: aggression: etc. including jumping red lights on numerous
occasions... then a Court might draw its own conclusions.
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| Definition of an Accident? |
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| There will always
[at least in the foreseeable future] be a certain amount of Accidents... people will always make the odd
'genuine' mistake. In one sense, [almost] every crash can be described as
an 'Accident'... as it was not the intention of the person to deliberately
cause it... but...
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When is an Accident
not an Accident?
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| An Accident should be an unpredictable event... or an unavoidable
incident. If a driver had been reported: [and received a dozen written warnings from the
Police] about jumping red
traffic lights... saying... 'If you carry on like this you will end up killing
someone'... the event
has [to some degree] been predicted! When the
prediction comes true... is this still a genuine accident? or is it an inevitable
consequence of reckless and irresponsible behaviour... which could easily have
been avoided?
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Both Prosecutors and Defenders could ask for a drivers 'Record' to be taken into
account. A driver with a largely unblemished record might be given
the benefit of the doubt and treated more leniently.
One with a really bad record could expect to feel the full weight of the Law... either
way... the Court system could only benefit from having this extra Information available.
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| Industry.
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Time is money! In the new 'Global Economy', companies are under continuous pressure to lower costs
and become more efficient and this is one way 'Industry' could benefit. Look at any long
traffic hold up: [whether it is caused by an accident or a breakdown] there can
be thousands of commercial vehicles just sitting there... going nowhere... every one running up
costs in one way or another... businessmen stuck in
taxis,
with the meter ticking over: trucks delayed for hours, burning extra fuel:
delivery vehicles late on their rounds: others trying to get to meetings or to
catch flights. Less hold ups can make many aspects of a business more
efficient and predictable.
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Direct cost savings. |
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premiums... and lower repair bills... this may not sound much: [can be for those carrying their own insurance, or with an
'excess'] but all these extra costs come straight out of the profit margin for any
business... and for large organisations with hundreds or thousands of vehicles
these can be substantial costs. Less accidents on the roads means less hold
ups... which means less time on the
road for vehicles: [less wear and tear costs] and the drivers: [less injuries: less
stress: less overtime.]
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| Drivers. |
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| Reports about company vehicles would be sent directly to
the employer... so they could have quite a lot of Information about what their
employees were doing out on the roads. Any problem driver could be quickly
identified and 'dealt' with, in an appropriate way: [could be given a warning:
re-training: or persistent offenders discharged.] Schemes like those
in the U.S. where trucks display a sticker 'How's my driving?', any
complaints, ring ---this number: have reduced the accident rate of
participants by 20% or more.
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| But... companies would also have
to take a look at themselves... are they putting undue pressure on their drivers
to meet unrealistic deadlines?
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Governments.
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Any Government would be able to take the credit in many areas for the successful
introduction of a system like this, such as... empowering their Electorate:
putting more Money in their pockets: [lower insurance premiums] making Industry
more competitive: [cheaper goods: more secure jobs:] providing a better Health
Service: [less demand] reducing Crime: [more effective use of Police
resources]
lowering Taxes: improving the Environment: and creating a more civil
Society.
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Of course... we're not claiming that this would be good enough to get
anyone re-elected!
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Enforcing the law can be a very contentious
issue especially when you are dealing with the 'law-abiding' majority.
When there are no improvements in the numbers killed and injured on the roads a
Government might be accused of doing nothing... when they do launch
'Initiatives'...
others might accuse them of being heavy handed.
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| A Government might not want to launch such an 'Initiative' as
this...
fearing they
might be accused of 'abdicating their responsibilities'... but if the scheme comes from a
grassroots Organisation they could claim... 'they were just responding to public
demand'. Any Government could rightly say... 'We have put in place the
mechanism for change... now it is up to individual citizens to play their
part'.
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| Subsequently... anyone complaining about 'Road Safety' issues could
be told... 'if you don't like it, become a Road Supervisor and do something about
it'... if they cannot be bothered to participate then they only have
themselves to blame!
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This could also give a Government the opportunity to re-allocate scarce
resources, for instance... spending less on road engineering: like speed humps
and other 'traffic calming measures'... also review the expenditure on such things
as... Emergency Services: Medical Facilities: Law Enforcement: Courts: and the Legal
Professions. |
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| The Bottom
Line is... |
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that a significant reduction in the 'Accident
Rate' is a possibility... and would bring enormous Human: Social: and Economic
benefits... but this will
not happen unless the problem is tackled in a 'Radical and Innovative'
way. |
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| If you only pursue the same policies that have been pursued in the
last decade... then the results are a forgone conclusion! |
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