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PostPosted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 06:19 
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Khaleej Times Online here
Khaleej Times Online wrote:
Speed kills and you could be the killer
(Safer Driving Camgaign)
29 September 2011
KT’s safety campaign will focus on ten elements that need to be addressed in improving road safety standards.

Every few days we will talk about one of them in detail. The idea is to involve you. These are: 1) Speeding 2) Inattentiveness 3) DUI 4) Your car 5) You 6) Your road sense 7) Rubbernecking 8) Medicine, prescribed or otherwise 9) Signals and signage 10) Stupidity.

Speed is not bad. It is over-speeding that is the killer. Combine it with arrogance and bravado and you might as well shoot yourself in the foot because it doesn’t matter how fast you are going, it will catch up with you one day and you will turn from a human being into a statistic.

There is no such thing as the right road on which to begin pressing the accelerator.

Contrary to popular perception men and women can be equally guilty of speeding. The exhilaration factor has no genetic disposition.

Why do we speed? The first casualty in answering that question is the destruction of logic. We spend our lives waiting in queues, lounging about the computer, watching drivel on the TV, sending Tweets and sms message but shift us into the car and it is al la new chemistry driven by one emotion: hurry, hurry, hurry.

Psychiatrists have suggested that it both a competitive factor (other cars on the road) and a compensatory one (See, I am somebody, I can whizz past you) both complementing each other especially when goaded by third parties.

It is a sobering thought that even 45 kph can kill and there are thousands of pedestrians crippled and traumatized to prove it.

According to Safe Speed, a British organisation dedicated to slowing people down and researching the reasons that make people take their lives and lives of others, “If drivers are inherently trusted to reduce speed when necessary, then there is little reason why we need to set numerical speed limits for them in general at all.” The groups that need numerical speed limits are the novice few and the reckless few.

The rest of us are very good indeed at setting appropriate and safe speeds both above and below the speed limit as necessary. We know we’re fine at it, and we do it daily. Some claim that drivers in general cannot be trusted to choose their own speed.

They claim that speed limits are necessary to prevent drivers from using speed dangerously. But drivers all use deadly speed legally. They are charged with the responsibility of using deadly speed wisely and the rarity of accidents proves beyond doubt that the vast majority are well up to the challenge. Millions of accidents each day are prevented because drivers have reduced speed when necessary.

It is this: “reduce speed when necessary” behaviour, exhibited to excellent effect by drivers everywhere, that is the foundation of our entire road safety system.”

Therefore, regardless of everything the authorities do to control the menace and spend thousands of manhours and millions of dirhams educating the public and creating safety infrastructures the small minority is not affected because it will still speed dangerously ignoring signage, threat, penalty and every other barrier placed in their way.

What you must ask yourself is whether you belong to that category and are you a killer on the loose…ready to murder someone innocent because you have the speed sickness. Yes, that is what it is…a virus.

Remedy: They should take you off the road.

On Monday: Part II, Inattentiveness…you’ll be surprised.

Write to KT editor with your comments and suggestions, join in, let’s do something to make or roads safer.
PLEASE NOTE they did NOT request a comment and have self-constructed, the initial introduction. They are being contacted esp over the "a British organisation dedicated to slowing people down" bit !
Although part of the article includes part of the Safe Speed 'why' webpage it is certainly not clear and is confusing to the reader as it is taken out of context and fails to even include the conclusive last line: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/why.html under the 30mph is a deadly speed section ... about 3/4s down the page.
I would always rather make proper statement to reflect properly the topic under discussion. They failed too, to reference the webpage or a direct link to the site.
As much as I am pleased that they referred to Safe Speed they must observe copyright rules and respect organisations.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.


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