The challenges of modern day driving
Everyone empathises with the families of all those who died in the horrendous multiple vehicle accident on the UK's M5 in Somerset at the weekend. It is heartbreaking for all those close family members as they come to terms with having their lives turned upside down by the tragedy. We must also think of those who have died in motor vehicle accidents in our own country in recent times including the young man from Redhills who lost his battle for life following a road accident in his home area recently.
It is the time of year when people are urged to drive with extra care on the roads. There have always been road accidents, since the earlest days of the automobile but all motorists today have an understandable underlying fear of being in a collision with another vehicle given the combined power that they possess. Such are the advances in motor technology that the modern road vehicle has tremendous power and pace. Travelling at 70 mph on a motorway may seem a reasonable speed but when required to brake hard in an emergency that driver will be lucky to get stopped in order to avoid the crisis that has suddenly emerged in front of them.
The motorists travelling in Somerset may have all been driving reasonably in the context of motorway driving but they had no time to deal with the emergency that suddenly confronted them - with the resultant carnage. The police are investigating the possibility that the drivers involved drove into a thick cloud of black smoke caused by a fireworks display at a nearby rugby club. This may yet emerge to be the case but this tragic multiple accident has focused people's minds on the risks associated with driving on fast roads such as motorways. The boom years of the Celtic Tiger brought us spectacular improvements in our road structure with a series of motorways radiating from Dublin to all regions of the country. We here in Cavan are blessed with the new M3 - it has made the journey to the capital comfortable (almost uneventful), quite significantly shortening the time it takes to do so.
However, drivers using all motorways are advised to drive with care - particularly to leave a safe distance between themselves and the vehicle in front - so that they have a good chance of stopping in the event of an accident pile up. It is reckoned that a person involved in an accident on a motorway has literally seconds to escape the deadly consequences of being over run by the oncoming vehicles. It is a timeframe that is so paper thin as to be virtually non-existent. The best guarantee is to drive safely and responsibly and to be in a position to stop should any unforeseen emergency arise. It is very hard to ensure complete safety on any road and accidents which often occur are unavoidable. People driving safely can be struck by another less careful motorist but overall it is best to exercise restraint and not to give into the urge of putting down the accelerator just because someone has passed you out.
Your exercise of restraint substantially reduces the risk of you being involved in a serious accident and of your causing serious injury to others. As we head into the dark days of winter it is important that we do all we can to lessen the number of road accidents and road fatalities. It is an objective that every motorist must set themselves.
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