Awareness slogans about the dangers of the road and TV commercials are plentiful. Yet the road continues to kill, less, but it still claims victims. Alcohol, speed, seatbelts— the same ills, and always the same words: “I only had three drinks,” “no need to wear a seatbelt in the city” or “I’m alone on the road… I can exceed 90 km/h.” We have all done it. Without being aware of the risk we were taking or imposing on others.
For two days, rather playful tests were conducted on the Promenade des Anglais with the participation of the Nice Firefighters, Municipal Police, Road Safety authorities, and MAIF Prevention. A driving simulator to embed in our brains all the dangers that can occur in any situation, in the city, in the mountains, on the highway…
Tests of reactions: we do not react instantaneously. This lapse of time, added to the braking distance, makes one understand the necessity of respecting safety distances. You really need to test it to understand, and imagine a child crossing the road… Realizing that even at 40 km/h, the braking distance is insufficient to avoid the inevitable. Reflecting on the consequences of a lack of attention, how can one not want to optimize their vigilance to save a child’s life?
One could also realize the violence of an impact even at a reduced speed (25 km/h). This crash test helps to understand the usefulness of the seatbelt… And to realize that without it, even when driving slowly, one ends up in the windshield.
Municipal police officers from the Prevention Brigade, equipped with their Eurolaser, presented their activities and prevention actions in schools in Nice. Each year, 5000 students are sensitized.
The Eurolaser enjoys tremendous success… But the key is having attentive ears. Jean-Paul Belmonte, the chief guard of the brigade, in an educational way, explains to the “curious” why it is important to respect speed limits.
Drink or drive, make a choice or you’re seen when you’ve drunk… Everyone knows these slogans by now that are passé. Yesterday on the Prom, it was about what do you see when you’ve drunk? Glasses simulating perception after seven glasses of alcohol as an accessory. Result: we stagger, becoming unable to orient ourselves in space.
The firefighters demonstrated how they extricated a victim from their vehicle. The intervention lasts forty minutes. Forty minutes of suffering for the pained victim, enduring the noise of spreaders, shears, and all the equipment used by the firefighters. Passersby are impressed and think: “hope we’re never in the victim’s place.”
To never be a victim, one must be aware of the dangers of the road. Slogans are no longer enough. For two days, on the Prom, it was an opportunity to not take the road the same way anymore. This event should be repeated to sensitize as many people as possible. Perhaps all these tests should be integrated during the driving test or offer a day of sensitization after obtaining a vehicle registration…
Vincent Trinquat.
