Self-Driving Vehicles and the Effects on Road Traffic Accidents

In the UK alone, around 2000 people die each year from road traffic accidents and around 80,000 people are seriously injured.

In my local news I read one article a week, if not more, about a crash, a fatal accident or a pedestrian being knocked over or someone being knocked off their bike or motorbike.

What I find even more saddening is when someone loses a life on the road when the accident was not their fault. You can be the most careful, conscientious driver possible but you cannot always trust others to be the same. Especially with the ever growing numbers of people using their phones to call or text whilst behind the wheel.

It is reported that 90% of accidents on our roads occur through bad driving behaviour – speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, skipping red lights and, as mentioned above, using mobiles.

It has been in the news recently about the release of self-driving vehicles. It is reported they are safer – they don’t get drunk, they don’t get tired and they free people from the responsibilities of driving themselves. Although this all sounds great, there are still a lot of grey areas that need to be addressed such as how they are insured. At this very early stage, driverless cars should always have a person ready to take control, but then that goes back to human error. What about the fact that they could, for example, drop you off in a busy city centre and go off and park themselves and they crash with no one inside or in control? Are they, as robots, responsible for any damage/injury to a third party? Who will take responsibility in that instance?

The Government announced back in July that these vehicles will be ready to go on the public roads in January 2015 (less than 6 months) – although this is part of a pilot scheme, whereby UK cities will in effect test the driverless cars and these tests will run from between 18 and 36 months. Civil Servants have been given until the end of this year to publish a review of road regulations. You can find out more information here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28551069 .

I am hopeful that this could be something that really does make a huge difference to the number of deaths and injuries on our roads. I guess only time (and road traffic accident statistics in the areas testing the driverless cars) will tell.

When I was growing up there was not a year that would go by without a Robin Williams film being released. From Aladdin and Hook to Jumanji and Mrs Doubtfire. As a child I idolised this brilliant actor and comedian. However, as a child I was protected from the issues that he was facing when not in character.

Depression, misuse of drugs and alcohol. You hear it way too often in the entertainment industry. Most people would blame the media, the pressures of being in the limelight and not being able to have any privacy, their love lives being splattered in the newspapers and on the TV, their appearance being evaluated and criticised. Then we are shocked and saddened when the news breaks that, like Robin Williams, they have (reportedly) apparently committed suicide.

There is a lot of talk of people being thrown into the spotlight when they are too young; what with Britney Spears having a “breakdown” and shaving her head, Lindsay Lohan being admitted to rehab and Justin Bieber breaking the law and getting into fights. These behaviours clearly indicate that these celebrities are not dealing with the pressures of the lives they are leading, yet what do we do? We display it all over the world and treat their “strange” behaviour as gossip, calling it “news”.

What we have to remember is the fact that depression and misuse of drugs and alcohol happens to millions of people all around the world who are not in the spotlight. Whilst people are willing to discuss these issues when it comes to celebrities, there is a huge stigma on society and people are afraid to talk about it. It is avoided.

It is sad that in today’s society we are not willing to reach out to the people in our own environments. We are far more likely to accept help when it is offered rather than seeking it ourselves.

The difference between the lifestyles of celebrities and non-celebrities is vast, however the one thing we have in common is that these issues can affect us all.

One of our paralegals, Molly, is doing a 160ft bungee jump in support of SANE, a mental health charity. If you would like to donate then please visit www.justgiving.com/Molly-Gould.

On 10 August 2014, I will be taking part in a 160ft bungee jump at the 02 Arena to raise money for SANE.

One in four people will suffer from a mental health illness in their lifetime, and of those people, their illness will affect six more people.

I am lucky enough to be able to say that I am not one of the one in four people who have suffered but I am one of the six people that someone else’s illness has affected.

Sadly, in 2012, 5981 people took their own lives and figures suggest that it is set to rise.

Mental illness is not something to be ashamed of, it is a recognised health issue. We need to get away from this idea that people are crazy, they are not. They are just normal people battling their own demons.

SANE is a mental health charity which was established in 1986 to improve the quality of life for people affected by mental illness, following the overwhelming public response to a series of articles published in The Times entitled The Forgotten Illness.

SANE provides emotional and practical support to those who need it, fund research into causes, treatments and impacts of mental health and campaigns to combat stigma and change attitudes towards mental illness.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has sponsored me so far and especially to GMS Law for kindly donating £200.00. If you would like to donate please go to www.justgiving.com/Molly-Gould.

Thank you

Molly Gould
Paralegal to Stephanie Mort