THE MYTH THAT SPEED "CAUSES" ACCIDENTS

It's a similar myth to the one that guns cause murders. News flash: People commit murders and whether the tool used is fists, baseball bats, knives, poison, or whatever the point is the same. Neither cars nor their speed cause car accidents. Extraordinarily rarely it could be a mechanical breakdown including a blown tire that suddenly and immediately renders the car uncontrollable. That is rare but driver inattention or as I like to say HUA (head up ass) is the single major cause of accidents. In our busy world too many people continue to view driving as something to be done on autopilot i.e. I'll automatically react when an emergency occurs versus paying attention in the first place and seeing problems developing ahead of or around you. This takes both driving experience and close attention 100% of the time.

Yes alcohol has been and unfortunately may still be a major factor in accidents. Likely so are cellphones and other distractions. My term HUA is the same as distracted driving. Many drivers simply get bored watching out for potential driving problems. While paying attention will avoid the vast majority of serious issues it is not 100% going to make you impervious to another driver falling asleep or coming across the centre line towards you. It will however give you a split second to attempt avoidance. Not the best scenario.

Yesterday's K-W Record carried a Letter To The Editor titled "The truth about higher speed fine revenues". The fact is that higher speed limits relevant to the vast technical improvements in cars suspension and handling, steering, braking, and safety systems including seatbelts and air bags over the last sixty years should have occurred a long time ago. Of course that would greatly reduce the revenue stream for municipal, regional and provincial budgets. That has been the major impediment. All traffic travelling between 100 and 115 km per hour for example is much safer than traffic travelling between 80 and 115 km per hour with too many drivers feeling that they really don't need to pay such close attention.