Increase highway speed at the country’s peril

The proposal by the Italian minister of infrastructure and transport, Altero Matteoli, to increase speed on the some roads from 130km/h to 150km/h poses a lot of questions than answers. The proposal comes hot on the heels of manifestations in Rome and other cities against highway mortalities in Italy. It is know in Italy that over 60% deaths from motor accidents are caused by over speeding. This puts the minister’s proposal at loggerheads with the general thinking of the people, be they relatives of victims or other stakeholders.

One must ask why the minister thought it wise to make such proposals at a time when hundreds of youth continue to die every weekend out of accidents? According to statistics by Ocse, (l’Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico), as contained in Corriere della sera, www.corriere.it (Matteoli: si a 150km/h all’ora in autostrada), Italy has a media of 9.8 highway deaths of every 1000 persons per year, which is higher that the European media of 9.6. Such figures confirm the stories I used to hear that drivers in Italy are just crazy and that driving in Rome is total madness.

Matteoli argues that the proposal is going to save time, ensure constant flow of traffic and increase security on the roads adding that if a car is strong enough to cruise at that speed then it should not be forced to drive along the weak ones. Such an argument by the minister is actually contrary to ensuring security on the roads. The strength of the car should not be the measure of speed buy by the capacity to drive safely and the conditions of the roads.

No doubt the country wants to increase security on the roads and ensure constant flow of traffic but not at the expense of human life. It is not surprising that leaders have come up to oppose such laws saying it is ‘demagogical and paradoxical’ in a country that lacks the culture of highway security (Paese in cui non c’e cultura della sicurezza stradale’, according to Silvia Velo, Vice president Pd della commissione della trasporto della camera.) www.agi.it ‘Nuovo codice della strada….’ One can only hope that these leaders are not just playing politics but are convinced that increase of speed to 150km/h, even if only in some roads, is not a well informed proposal.

If the minister is concerned about the highway security then he must ensure there are rules to ensure those who drive are properly trained, that Highway Code is put in place to regulate the flow of motor and contain madness on the roads caused a like by drivers, Motor cyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Minister we better not assume everyone has the capacity to drive at that speed leave alone driving properly. Better to rethink again how else free flow of traffic can be ensured, how highway security can be improved and how else time can be saved other than sending many more to the grave, in trauma or on wheelchairs. Doing it any other way will be simply peddling a fib and it soon becomes cropper!