RIP Sr. Rainieri, those who have died in vehicles since, who will die today and those who will not survive tomorrow.
You can't bend the laws of physics, therefore, each driver must be taught and constantly remember that faster costs more.
The equation for Kenetic Energy reveals that the energy of an object is directly proportional to the square of its speed. That means that for a twofold increase in speed, the kinetic energy will increase by a factor of four. For a threefold increase in speed, the kinetic energy will increase by a factor of nine. And for a fourfold increase in speed, the kinetic energy will increase by a factor of sixteen. The kinetic energy is dependent upon the square of the speed. As it is often said, an equation is not merely a recipe for algebraic problem solving, but also a guide to thinking about the relationship between quantities.
This is why even some relatively low speed collisions can be fatal. Our bodies did not evolve to absorb the forces experienced when the object we are travelling in comes to a sudden stop and we continue to move along at speed until we impact something that causes us to slow down. A seat belt will not keep your liver attached and in place above a certain speed - the tensile strength of our connective tissues is just not sufficient.
We all have seen it, we hear about it and know someone who has suffered through it, yet we rarely think about it as we roll down the road towards wherever we feel we need to be five minutes sooner.
Kudos to those that reflect on this point every time they climb into a vehicle.
If the Govt here really wishes to make a difference, enforcement needs to be stepped up and the roadways dotted with billboards (at least as large as the Presedente ads that can be seen for kilometers) reminding drivers that a little less pressure on the accelerator is always a good thing.
Sadly, not much will change and in due course someone else of public interest will meet the same fate and then we will be right back where we started...again.
Holiday weekend everyone, stay off the roads if you can, if not, be the tortoise not the hare and just maybe you'll get there.