The Dangers Of Careless Driving

Where driving without due care and attention used to be something of a defence, it is now far more of an offence. Momentary lapses of concentration are no longer an excuse in a court of law, in fact, in some instances; it can be enough to land you in jail.

Organisations such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) have been campaigning for such changes in the law for some time. Several areas of the country have different levels of punishment for this offence depending on the outcome of the careless driving in question.

What is somewhat surprising is that people dont seem to take this offence very seriously. In fact, people seem more willing to offer advice about how to avoid the charge than anything else! On an online discussion forum, we came across a man who had been charged with driving carelessly because he had been spinning his wheels on gravel by revving the car very high. The police officer that charged him said in his report that there was an open petrol pump nearby and so could have caused large scale damage and potential injuries to many people. The question he put forward on the forum was that if he could prove that the petrol pump was closed, would that help his case? And to our surprise, around fifty people had replied to him with advice about how to avoid punishment saying that if he could prove something in the officers report wrong then hed have a better case etc.

Each year, thousands of people get maimed or killed due to negligent drivers, and still we dont sit up and take notice. Tens of thousands of people lose their licenses each year (at least temporarily) owing to reckless driving, and most of them are back on the streets driving without a valid license! The funny thing is that even if we know about it, we dont really pull the guy up. Instead, we offer advice as to how he can continue to escape the law; and that is what causes most of the offences on our highways.

Although as an offence, driving without due care and attention is not deemed as important as drunk driving or driving while talking on the phone, it is still one of the leading causes of road accidents and needs to be addressed with greater seriousness.

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