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But what is the true risk to normal, self-preserving, competent drivers of travelling faster where there are no dangers a competent and experienced driver can foresee? Despite what the shock/horror advertisements tell us, almost all drivers can and do ensure their own safety. Consequently, 99.25% of New Zealanders alive today will not die in a road crash. This chart shows the chances of a New Zealander ever dying in a road crash reduce from around 1% at birth to 0.2% at age 85. The population average remaining lifetime risk is just 0.75%.
We employ three large bureaucracies (LTSA, traffic police, courts) dedicated to controlling, prosecuting, convicting and fining New Zealanders for traffic infringements – most for speeding. These activities were budgeted to cost us up to $310 million dollars in 2003 , up from $215 million dollars in 1999. That is now 3.7% of the total health budget or 31.5% of the total police budget. By any measure, this is a major waste of time and resources. The Government is spending more than three times as much on traffic safety enforcement as is justifiable on a proportionate risk basis against all other health needs. This expenditure is almost entirely for supposed prevention whereas the health budget is mostly treatment, so the real overspending is far more disproportionate – probably between ten and one thousand times more than is being spent on preventative programmes for the causes of the other 99% of New Zealand deaths, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes. Even suicide kills a similar number of New Zealanders but receives comparatively insignificant funding. Even if this money were targeted effectively, and it is not, road users and taxpayers could use their own money and time to better improve their quality of life and lifespans. For example, side airbags protecting head and torso reduce a driver’s risk of death in a crash by 50% . If taxpayers were allowed to spend their own money on better-equipped vehicles it would have immediately greatly improve their personal safety. If we must let the Government spend it, even putting some of this effort and money into our public health system could produce a better return and benefit more people. |
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