this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2023
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I think it's worth understanding why they are targeting speeds. It's not revenue collection. Road to Zero is the idea that people make mistakes, and they shouldn't have to pay with their lives.
In the past: They weren't paying attention, hit a truck, it's their fault they died.
Now: They weren't paying attention, hit a truck, how could we have prevented it? Let's install a median separator.
Basically, accepting people make mistakes, and looking for ways to stop this meaning they have to die.
The reason they are targeting speed is related to this. If you get drunk and drive and hit a power pole, if you do drugs and drive and hit a power pole, if you use your phone while driving and hit a power pole, if your kid distracts you and you hit a power pole, these are all different causes but the result is the same. You hit a power pole.
Now if you're driving at 100KPH, the result of this accident is that you or someone in your vehicle probably dies or gets a life-long injury. If you're driving at 80KPH, chances are you walk away from the crash, or at least can recover fully within a few months.
The idea of reduced speed limits is simply that people are going to make mistakes, people are going to crash, and when this happens we should prioritise life over saving 3 minutes on your commute.
Exactly this.
Greater speed makes every collision and accident worse.
We can save lives, already involved in collisions, by reducing the speed at which those collisions happen.
I'd rather we address the underlying cause of these accidents, personally, rather than just saying "shit happens"
As a young taco enthusiast once asked - - porque no los dos?
It's not a binary issue - - you could address both sides of the problem. Do more to reduce the likelihood of accidents, but also minimise the damage done by accidents. Since there's no magic on/off switch for car accidents, while we figure out the right settings to reduce them, maybe it's wise to use strategies that minimise the damage done by them.