Dear Sir,

I totally support your recent series of articles covering the many complex aspects of how we can reduce the number of injuries/loss of life caused by our home-grown epidemic. This multifaceted approach and continuing dialogue within the community can only help.

The attached hard-hitting song was written nine years ago but is still relevant. I invite you to publish it again if it may help to save a life. I work in healthcare and encourage parents to frequently remind their children of concern for their safety. If this is hard, place a copy of Riding On Air under their pillow.

What follows are my two suggestions to reduce road accidents:

1, Most accidents have two stages, and if we can keep to the first one that creates the risk, the second need never occur. For example, a ball going into a canal (first stage) is not a safety issue until a child decides (second stage) to go in after it. If drivers could stop choosing to go over the lines in the middle of the road, especially the yellow lines marked to indicate that it is not safe to overtake, we will reduce or even eliminate the second-stage risk caused by that decision

2, Instead of “Give Way” on the back of our buses, perhaps we should have “Do Not Pass”. In most situations when stopped on a main road at a bus stop, ie, not in a bus lay-by, there is inadequate visibility to safely pass the bus. Except for a very few busy locations, the bus will have stopped only to drop off or pick up one passenger, so we need to just be patient for that short time.

Another approach would be for the Government to acquire adjacent land to create more bus lay-bys, therefore reducing the need for buses to stop on public roads for passenger pick-up or drop-off.

VAL SHERWOOD

Singer-songwriter