Is There Any Excuse For Impaired Driving

Is There Any Excuse For Impaired Driving

Tony LuMarch 13, 2013

Is There Any Excuse For Impaired Driving

Submitted by: Tony Lu

When questioning: is there any excuse for impaired driving, it might be tempting to answer that there are sometimes circumstances beyond our control that mitigate poor driving. It may be necessary to look beyond driving and examine the whole mindset of society towards matters of motoring safety. Do this and it soon becomes apparent that some road users have double standards in their driving habits.

Consider the question of qualifications. Sure there are occasionally news stories about people who even after dozens of attempts fail to obtain a drivers license. Perhaps they were never meant to drive. But given sufficient time and effort it is not that difficult, nor beyond the capabilities of the vast majority, to pass the theory and practical tests. Yet we are regularly confronted with accident statistics involving unlicensed drivers.

Sadly these accidents often cause passenger injuries and deaths. Thinking of this, one might question whether those same passengers would board an airplane, if they knew that the pilot was unqualified. Imagine the outrage if such an incident occurred and became public knowledge. It is the same as knowingly undergoing an operation under an untrained surgeon.

Yet similar events occur daily on our roads with tragic consequences. This is wrong we say, society does not approve, offenders are prosecuted, but it does not seem to change the fact that such reckless irresponsibility continues unchecked. Maybe there is an element of double standards here that could be addressed.

Consider too if the basic qualification of just obtaining a license is sufficient and whether advanced driver training should become mandatory. Many keen sportsmen and women will not think twice about paying a professional to help improve golf swings or touch up on a tennis backhand. Yet for some the thought of paying hard earned cash for advanced driver training would be out of the question. Possibly there is an element of double standards creeping in here as well.

Another crucial area that impacts on our mindset is the way we apply ourselves to the task. Watching a favourite TV program is something most of us do daily, for others a good book or computer game is more absorbing. Studies show that these activities manage to get a lot if not all our attention. It seems bazaar then that motoring; a complex activity at the best of times, does not seem to get the same degree of attention as a TV soap show.

A drive down a morning commuter route often reveals, that behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, motorists suddenly acquire a whole new skill set. When driving it becomes possible to talk on a cell phone, change a CD, apply lipstick, program the Sat Nav, reach for something on the back seat and perform many other suddenly essential tasks. If the act of driving is not commanding all our attention, just like the TV show, perhaps the issue of double standards should be addressed.

Being in command of a motorized vehicle can be likened to being in command of a missile launcher. In the wrong hands both have the capacity to cause injury, death and destruction. If the answer can be found within attitudes to double standards, then the question; is there any excuse for impaired driving skills answers itself.

About the author, Impaired driving is a crime, take it seriously and hire Impaired Driving Lawyers, keep a clean criminal record.

About the Author: Impaired driving is a crime, take it seriously and hire Impaired Driving Lawyers, keep a clean criminal record.

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