Why are men almost always on the cell phone when they drive!
November 21, 2023The inebriated, fast and furious driver – a threat to traffic safety
November 21, 2023By Dumisa Dlamini
A lot of traffic accidents would have been and can be avoided if drivers in particular were to exercise patience whilst on the road. It is disheartening, however, to note that as a result of impatience, drivers have caused many accidents in traffic that have resulted in serious and fatal crashes. Impatience here is the acute display, by motorists, of intolerance on the occurrences that impede or delay their movement. Often times than not some of these obstacles, hazards or impediments may compel them to bring their cars to a complete halt wherein they feel they are delayed and thus break several traffic rules to proceed right ahead not withstanding what is on the road. One cannot rule out aggressive behavior from drivers when they fail to exercise patience as per the dictate of a certain condition in the traffic vicinity. Whilst everyone out there may be living a busy life that demands multi-tasking, it shouldn’t call for impatience in traffic. There shall always be penalties and consequences of losing your calm on the road especially in one engages in reckless driving. There are several traffic offenses that acutely show you are impatient behind the wheel.
EXCESSIVE SPEED FOR CERTAIN ROAD CONDITIONS
Excessive speed remains one of the most ardent causations of traffic accidents that have resulted in fatalities. This comes as a result of disregarding the stipulated speed limit wherein a driver may crash into other vehicles or be forced to lose control of the vehicle should any hazard interpose itself between himself and the traffic space ahead of him. A lot of speeding drivers may even be in the tendency of tail-gating the vehicles they follow in traffic and may be involved in rear smashes, a very common type of accident in the road that has caused such serious injuries such as spinal damage.
Anyone who travels at an excessive speed is tempted in every second and distance on the road to (wrongly) overtake a vehicle they believe is slow for their liking. An oncoming vehicle maybe just on the other side of the camber thus a potential head on collision imminent.
RUNNING THROUGH TRAFFIC LIGHTS
These impatient drivers have no respect for road signs, markings, rules, regulations and traffic signs. They would come to traffic lights that have just turned red and fail to wait for their turn. Instead they may overtake anyone else and run through the red lights. It’s even worse at night when they assume there is no one watching and there a few vehicles where they run through the traffic lights. The consequences of hat have been huge on them, other road users and the economy of the country. It is most likely that collision would occur as the other vehicles to who the lights are permissive that they go through. Such accidents have been mostly fatal and serious and would have been avoided if the driver had kept their cool, exercised their patience and drove through as per the dictates of the lights.
TAKE AWAYS:
- Don’t tail gate or follow another vehicle too closely.
- Avoid improper overtaking and weaving in and out of lanes.
- Don’t race to get through amber lights.
- Don’t run through red lights.
- Getting angry, upset or impatient will not make the other drivers move any faster.
Remember that each time you are impatient on the road, you are booking yourself a bed in hospital and you shall become a patient courtesy of your negligent, reckless and inconsiderate driving!
