Madam, - I disagree fundamentally with the approach of Fr Martin O'Reilly, Youth Director with the diocese of Clogher in laying the blame for youth problems on the failure of parents to spend meaningful time with their children. What youth need is our praise - and there are many things to praise about today's youth - not our guilt-ridden angst. This is in line with the best behavioural psychology. It is important not to dwell too much on the tragedy of the moment to assuage our guilty feelings, whether or not they are justified. We should look instead at what practical steps that may be taken to improve a bad situation on our roads.
Firstly, there should be better training for young drivers. This should involve practical, hands-on experience under the instruction of trained expert driving instructors. It could be backed up by virtual driving simulators, if well designed, but there is no substitute for direct hands-on road experience. Only when young drivers reach a set level of competence, certified by a professional driving instructor, should they be granted a licence.
Secondly, opportunities should be provided for young drivers, male and female, to practise and improve their driving skills in a safe environment. This could be done in properly set up racing tracks, like Mondello Park, and in rallying under controlled conditions. Needless to say, and especially with such facilities in place, road safety regulations should be rigorously enforced and those guilty of serious offences should be severely punished both by mandatory prison sentences and fines.
Thirdly, an effort should be made in schools, especially at second level, to educate young people in the physics of road accident mechanics and in the physiology of road accident injuries. How many young people know, for example, that the energy dissipated in a road traffic accident goes up not with the speed of the vehicle but with the square of its speed. If you double the speed you quadruple the energy and if you quadruple the speed the energy goes up 16 times (22 = 4, 42 = 16). There is 16 times more energy involved at 120mph than at 30mph. The crumple zones of the modern car can contain a lot of the energy in a low-speed collision but there is no way the energy dissipation of a high speed crash can be confined to the car. - Yours, etc,
ANDREW J MORAN,
Woodford,
Co Galway.
