Big news report on BBC regional television last night about the (alleged) fact that our country roads are more dangerous than any others. The report was triggered by the mother of an Essex man who was killed when his motorbike collided with a bus on a winding country lane. She is now campaigning for speed limits on all country roads.
Much as one must sympathise with a mother's grief, this kind of knee-jerk reaction after the event is all too common, and is fundamentally flawed. All too often the unscrupulous or unthinking media batten on bereaved families in the hope of finding an attention-grabbing headline. We are reminded of this passage we wrote quite a long time ago.
Some arguments are difficult to combat, which in a way makes those who use them all the more dishonest. You know the sort of thing …
Newspaper reporter: "Mrs.Woman, you recently lost your much-loved son or daughter because he or she was killed in a road accident. Are you calling for better road safety?"
Mrs.Woman: "Well, I hadn't thought ….. er, yes, I suppose I am. I mean, it would be silly to call for WORSE road safety, wouldn't it?"
Newspaper reporter: "So what are you campaigning for, exactly?"
Mrs.Woman: "Well, let's see …. I haven't really had time to …. I suppose that if my son or daughter had been driving a bit slower …."
Newspaper headline: "GRIEVING MOTHER CALLS FOR NEW SPEED LIMIT".
Newspaper reporter (a couple of days later): "Councillor Jobsworth, what is your answer to Mrs.Woman, the resident who so tragically lost her son or daughter and is now campaigning for a new speed limit on the A666?"
Councillor Jobsworth: "I know this road well, and it has always seemed a very safe one to me".
Newspaper reporter: "So you're rejecting this brave lady's desperate call to avoid the tragic and unnecessary deaths of even more young people?"
Councillor Jobsworth: "But there's only ever been the one on this stretch of road, and he or she was driving a secondhand Maserati at twice the speed of sound ….."
Newspaper reporter: "So we can tell our readers that the County Council is in favour of allowing its young people to wipe themselves out?"
Councillor Jobsworth: "I didn't say that".
Newspaper reporter: "So what are you going to do?"
Councillor Jobsworth: "I don't see what we could reasonably …."
Newspaper reporter: "And what have you to say to Mrs.Woman - that her son or daughter deserved everything he or she got?"
Councillor Jobsworth: "I'll bring it up at the Road Safety Committee tomorrow".
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