The Demon Within US

In my curtain-raiser for last week’s piece, I deliberately titled it “Demons of the Season.” After deeper and more sober reflection, I realized that the real demon is the one in us, and not the supernatural entity some allege is responsible for deaths on our roads. It refers to our mannerisms and gross disregard for rules and best practices.

I don’t know if you have read the 1940 Turkish novel, “İçimizdeki Şeytan” (The Demon Within Us) by Sabahattin Ali. It explores the themes of identity, love, and social hypocrisy. Eighty-five years after it was published, the work is still considered a cornerstone of Turkish literature, remaining relevant for its exploration of alienation, self-deception, and the search for authenticity.

For me, the themes of hypocrisy and self-deception contained in Ali’s novel are relevant and applicable to the subject matter of avoidable deaths and fatalities on our roads. That is why I have titled this week’s piece to reflect our inhumanity while using the road.

Before I continue, please read last week’s piece and reflect on who the demon really is, disregard or a supposed supernatural power is responsible for your die-hard driving mannerisms.

Anyway, let me remind you that with about three weeks until Christmas, there will be all kinds of vehicles; rickety, sound, all kinds of drivers, licensed, learners, drunk, sane, and insane. Vehicular and human traffic would increase as motorists fight the urge to team up with families to savor the joy of the season. So, too, would increased infractions in the name of celebrating the season. In reality, road violations or, better put, bad driving habits would be on the increase, leading to avoidable crashes.

As I said last week, all this would happen because in every road crash, the predominant factor is human behavior, not demon interference. Human behavior makes a direct contribution to crash risk, through the knowledge and understanding of traffic systems, driver experience and skill, and the relationship between risk and factors such as speed choice and alcohol consumption. The road, the weather, and the vehicle will no doubt play their roles too. Not demons.

Yet, to some, the month of December, which ends the Ember months, is also jinxed as too many road traffic crashes occur. Too many deaths. Too many injuries. This group believes there is a demon responsible for all the road crashes that would occur within this period, including others that occurred previously. They don’t believe that motorists should be blamed. Rather, the demon that delights in sucking blood, the same demon that holds sway over the highways, will, as usual, ensure deaths occur.

I differ from these groups because I have seen a lot of bad driving behavior to know that the devil does not need to do much to cause a crash. All he needs to do is sit down and watch us drive the same way we have always driven despite repeated warnings.

To others, however, the season is normal except for the above, which demands extra caution. Without sounding the death knell, crashes will occur because of the wrong driving choices that we make; a choice of death, not life, through their actions, actions that have formed their driving habits over time. Road crashes are avoidable, even though a good number of people prefer buck-passing.

The remedy is simple: obedience to traffic rules. I don’t know if you share my view that there is nothing like a demon. A review of driving habits reveals the following select infractions as responsible for road crashes, not spirits or demons.

As space allows, I would, however, focus on a select few, starting with tyres. Before I do, allow me to whet your appetite with some snippets on distraction.

I don’t know if you read my piece captioned, “That Phone Call Can Wait.” In that piece, I tried to x-ray road mannerisms that know no age, gender, class, or status. Neither does it know faith or religion. I am talking of a mannerism which the World Health Organization identifies as a significant threat to road safety – distracted driving. It has become the vogue.

For reminders again, although I hope to wrap this up next week, a distraction, I once told you, increases the likelihood of crashes fourfold if you were driving and phoning. According to reports, cognitive distraction from both hand-held and hands-free devices is the primary danger, not just the physical act of holding a phone.

If you are stunned by the risk level for phoning and driving, what then would you say when you read that texting, which most of us indulge in while driving, is particularly risky and raises the risk of a road crash by as much as 23 times? Yet, in the name of showing off by multitasking, we indulge in these infractions, yet blame the demons instead of the demons in us.

Now to tyres. Tyres are the life-wire of a vehicle – they are the critical point of contact with the road; they support the vehicle’s weight, transmit force for acceleration, braking, and steering, among other functions. Yet, blowouts are among the major causes of road crashes that have claimed numerous lives.

Incidentally, motorists exhibit a high level of ignorance, which explains why you will see people travelling with their families with fairly used tyres or tyres not properly cared for. Why then do we blame spirits when the major cause of tyre blowout is incorrect tyre inflation, especially under-inflation?

The tyres, I told you, ensure stability. That is why tyre manufacturers specify the correct tyre gauge and the expiry date, which is usually stamped on the side of the tyre. It is very easy to find out the expiry date. Just check the side, and you will find a 4-digit number stamped on it. This number indicates the week and year of manufacture, and the expiry date will be four years after. Manufacturers also indicate the maximum allowable inflation pressure for specific tyres. Different tyres are designed for different pressures.

Unfortunately, most of us care less about this vital information and have become victims of quacks masquerading as vulcanizers. Under-inflation causes two things that ultimately lead to blowouts. First, it causes undue flexing of the tyres as the vehicle speeds along the undulating surface of the road. This causes a separation between the internal materials used in making the tyres and the rubber flesh that holds the materials. This separation weakens the tyre. Secondly, it causes an increase in what is known as rolling resistance as the vehicle moves. The increased rolling resistance generates a tremendous amount of heat, which, together with the separation of the internal materials, leads to an explosion. Pure science and nothing mystical, yet we feign ignorance of this science.

Incorrect tyre inflation could also cause a crash in other ways. When a tyre is incorrectly inflated, it makes partial contact with the road surface and so does not have a firm grip on the surface. With over-inflation, the edges of the contact patch (the part of the tyre that should be in contact with the road surface) do not touch the ground. In the case of under-inflation, the crown (the middle portion of the tyre) of the contact patch does not touch the ground. Either way, you have an impaired contact of the tyre on the road surface and so, less grip.

The improper contact could cause a crash; since the tyres don’t have a firm grip on the road surface, it prolongs the stopping distance when the brakes are applied in an emergency, and this could make the vehicle crash into the object it wants to avoid.

Another deliberate ignorance that has no place for demons or spirits.