Insanity as defined by Einstein

It was Einstein who said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result”. So why, oh why, do we hear the same cries of “cut the speed limit” each time the road toll rises?

We’ve tried it before and it doesn’t work, any more than putting up an umbrella stops it from raining. The only way we’re going to get the road toll down in New Zealand is to get people to drive better.

Most crashes are caused by the inability of people to get around corners, and more often than not, these crashes happen within the posted speed limits.

At the risk of repeating myself, one really has to wonder if the authorities are more interested in creating revenue than stopping accidents. And even if that’s not true, well, they certainly give that perception.

Fact is, more bad driving would be prevented if cops spent their time cruising and watching out for hoons rather than sitting in their cars and jumping on poor unfortunates who may have strayed over the speed limit.

And what about cell phone use? My bet is that the increase in crashes last year can be directly linked to the use of phones while driving, particularly texting, but even if the cops do stop someone, the fine is pathetically low, and unlikely to be a deterrent.

What we need now is some “out of the box” thinking, not the usual platitudes.