The Pressure is on

So road safety figures have fallen to the lowest they have every been, since records began in 1926. There are around 37m driving licences in the UK that are live, so the right to drive on our roads is quite high, yet the numbers are falling year on year, this means whatever we are doing must be right?

I've had a few discussions the last couple of days with the cynics, massaging of figures, cars are safer, no money for fuel, insurance costs, the list goes on. However are we as a nation safer and more aware than in previous years. A recent survey by Central DT found that out of 300 members of the public questioned more than three quarters believed our roads to be a dangerous place, our position on the EU road safety scale is always in the top three, but only 63% thought we were higher than number five, with 4% saying we were number 27. Is it this startling contrast between reality facts and figures and perception that keeps people safe.

For young drivers we have black box technology which will increase their awareness, by rote learning, however is black box technology the future for us all? It looks as if black boxes in cars will become a compulsory requirement as the Vision Zero date comes closer, with Ecall needing tracking for it to work, and the fatigue policy rolling out tacho requirements for van drivers and company car drivers, to reduce driving hours without a break.  So maybe all drivers will become more conscientious driving by rote as the data is recorded, will this replace the SPECS cameras planned to cover the UK motorway network for 2016.

With consultations having short time spans and legislation coming in to shake up a lot of the system, the RTA reaching it's conclusion for new laws is this the Government making work for itself, is it the back office reaching out for ways to save money, because the ADI looks to be getting a lot more spending out and not any more finance coming in.

Because of the apathy amongst the majority of instructors when it comes to taking part in processes, consultations and meetings, and generally having their say, the majority of the proposals will be pushed through and we will not be able to go back.