Road Accidents - We Know What Happens And When But Rarely Why
Published: 11th May 2005
Isn’t it time we found out says Hyperformance?
Friday 13th may be a day that even the sceptics handle with care but it’s not one that generally results in a dramatic increase in road accidents. Are motorists more careful on Friday 13th because they are aware it is considered unlucky, or do they change their routine in a bid not to fulfil the prophesy?
Certainly, the origins of Friday 13th don’t provide any clues. The superstition surrounding the date is believed to go back to Friday 13th October 1307 when the Pope, in collusion with King Philip of France, sentenced all the Knights Templar to death because he was jealous of their power and wealth. They were branded Satanists and executed, but not before their leader - Jaques DeMolay - cursed both Pope and King and foretold they would die within a year, which they did.
Conversely, figures released by Hyperformance, part of the Allen and Allen Group, for reported accidents in 2003 indicate Friday 13th was a pretty average day with 120 claims received and no curses reported. But whilst the date was not particularly significant, it seems the day can be.
Four of the top ten worst days for reporting accidents last year were Fridays and six of the worst 10 days were in January, backing up industry statistics that more accidents occur during winter months. In contrast, Thursdays turn out to be the safest day of the week for motoring.
The worst day of 2003 for Hyperformance claims handlers was Wednesday 8th January with 171 motoring accidents reported: Monday 3rd March was statistically the safest with 89 reports filed. No one knows why!
Hyperformance says these and the many other statistics produced on road casualties are fine in their own right, but they don’t really help motorists understand why accidents happen, which is arguably the most import part if we are to try and find ways to stop them happening. Is this because motorists genuinely don’t know, or are they just unwilling to say?
"How useful is it to know roundabouts are statistically safer than crossroads, or that nearly four times more cars have an accident turning right rather than left and that only half as many drivers come a cropper on a bend?" says Steve McPherson, Sales & Marketing Director, Hyperformance.
"Statistics tell us that three times as many motorists collide with trees than hit lampposts, and that you are 10 times more likely to hit an animal on a carriageway than a dislodged vehicle load. They show that defective road surfaces are responsible for as many accidents as defective traffic lights, and confirm that pedestrian crossings are not actually that safe for pedestrians.
"Some statistics are a real cause for concern but they still don’t tell us why, for instance, road accidents cause 20% of the deaths of children between 5 and 19, or account for 74% of all accidental deaths to 15-19 year olds*."
Hyperformance believes more should be done to broaden the scope of the information recorded on accidents in a bid to better understand why they happen. The company says that on the few occasions this has been done in the past it has led to some interesting findings.
Several police forces ran a trial back in 1996 and recorded contributory factors in road accidents. The trial was unscientific, but its results were revealing. It found the five most frequent causes of accidents to be:
- A driver’s failure to judge another person’s path or speed
- Careless/thoughtless or reckless behaviour
- Inattention
- Looking but failing to see
- Excessive speed
Surprisingly, impairment due to alcohol was down the list in 9th place, even though official statistics prove that one in five drivers or riders killed on the road are over the limit.
"Getting accurate information on the causes of accidents could have a real benefit for road safety. Even partial statistics could help change motorists’ perception of the risks and so make a valuable contribution," says Steve McPherson.
"We know, for example, that speed cameras work and there are less accidents where they are sited. We think that the drink-driving problem is in part due to the fact that young people still don’t realise how few drinks will put them over the legal limit. We can only speculate that the spectre of Friday 13th makes people more careful; well at least to avoid torture and crucifixion.
"The point is that whether based on hard fact, perception or even superstition, anything that makes motorists stop and think about what they are doing and alters their approach to driving can help to improve road safety. The most important thing to do is to use every means possible to get the message across."
*Source: The Casualty Report 2000
