All of us who live here are well aware of the appalling standard of driving in the country, which the dreadful accident statistics bear out. We have read recently of the new licence 'points deduction' system, increased fines for offences and so on, but the main problem, as I see it, is the attitude and ability of drivers coupled with an almost complete lack of active deterrence by the police.
In my 25 years here, I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in most parts of the country, but over both the recent New Year periods I have unfortunately had to be on the roads a great deal, something I would normally avoid. I am not a fast driver and travel usually between 90 and 120 km/hr, so I was constantly overtaken by vehicles, including sometimes lorries, at speeds that made it look as though I was driving in reverse!
Drunk driving apart, speed is unquestionably the major cause of accidents here. This being so, I have to wonder why the previous plethora of cameras, both hand held and fixed have clearly declined – although I notice more fixed ones now being installed. Police vehicles are seldom in evidence and even when they are the drivers themselves seem oblivious to vehicles flashing past them even as they themselves are exceeding the limit.
So how to educate a driver with a bullock cart mentality to cope with a vehicle capable of speeds up to almost 200 km/hr? It's not going to happen overnight, but an effective driving test and a lack of police indifference may go some way towards improving the situation. But TIT I suppose!