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City Hall175 East 200 NorthSt. George, UT 84770(435) 627-4000
| November 21, 2009 |
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Accidents, Crashes and Responsibility 40,000 People Dead from car crashes yearly and we don't give it a thought. 200 die in Plane Wreck and we have a come-apart. Is it because the car crashes take one or two of us at a time and is therefore tolerable? When are WE going to make a difference? What can WE do about this horrible statistic? But this is St. George, you say? Many years ago, there were less than 1,000 "accidents" per year. And we looked as each December came around to see the number increase. We broke 1,000 and 1,100, and still it grew. Little old St. George was responsible for adding 2,120 accidents to the stats pile this last year alone. WE have to make a difference. But we can only do it individually. And there are a few things that CAN be done if We just will. First: We need to realize that "accidents" is the wrong word to use. This implies that there is nothing that can be changed. After all, we don't have control of "accidents", do we? Over two thirds of the 6,000,000 (that's MILLION!) accidents per year ARE PREVENTABLE! "Crashes" is more correct. Crashes are preventable. Driver error, simple as that. Second: This area is smaller than where we came from. Salt Lake, Provo and the Los Angeles areas are all BIG. Speeding will save us a few minutes out of the commute. I took my daughter to school for a year. We had just moved to Green Valley and she continued to go to Pine View. I found that if I went 10 over the limit, it took me 11 minutes to get there. If I went the speed limit, it took me just over 12. Big Deal! I had an extra minute to spend with my daughter. I slowed down. Third: Watch out for these situations and avoid doing them yourself. They are the top three reasons for crashes in St. George:
Keep your attention on the job at hand: DRIVING A 3000 LB PROJECTILE AT 30 OR 40 MILES AN HOUR!!! If you need to talk on the phone, to disperse food to the kids, or eat yourself, look at a map or anything else that will distract you from this extremely important and potentially devastating activity, PULL OVER, do it, then get back to driving when you're done and you can give it your full attention. One last thing: Remember, no matter what you say, your kids will do WHAT YOU DO. On a recent trip to Idaho, I overheard my boys talking in the back seat: "You DO TOO speed!" "No, I don't" then "Dad, you should drive with Trent. He speeds everywhere he goes!" and then the kicker "I don't drive any faster than Dad does!" I looked down and saw that my cruise control was set on 82. After all, I would save about a half hour on our trip. I realized then that I wasn't just going to Idaho, I was teaching my kids. And I was making a difference in their lives. The wrong difference. Someone is looking up to you somewhere. What lessons are you teaching them? What difference are you making in their lives? WE CAN make a difference. Start now. Craig Harding Public Information Officer St. George Police Department |
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