Hi
Folks…

Departing
somewhat from our conventional subjects we thought it appropriate to share the
challenges of the motor industry, albeit from a slightly different perspective.

Road
fatalities, it seems are an inevitable part of everyday life - just as many
other things are.

Much
has been said about the fully automated car that will be capable of making
a significant contribution to the wellbeing of humans – great.

But
what if another thing we have to deal with compromises those lofty ideals?

It’s
not our exceptional brain size that makes humans special, but rather our
ability to imagine the future. This skill trains us to think, unlike other
animals and ultimately this enables us to triumph over them. And, yet, a
limitation of this unique ability might also spell our doom.

At a
meeting in Paris, world leaders are scratching their heads about how we can
deal with the imminent threat posed by global warming. Our energy-thirsty civilization
is guzzling fossil fuels at an unsustainable rate and we are soon to run out
our carbon budget. We are told that if we don’t act now, disastrous
consequences are predicted: rising sea levels, extreme weather events,
easy-to-spread infections and so on.

But,
as Arnold Schwarzenegger makes
it clear, despite our ability to dream up dystopia, “Stuff that happens in
the future does not mean anything to people.” It’s a limitation that could
seriously hinder a successful outcome of what was planned in Paris.

One
way out may be to reframe the debate. Global warming will affect billions of
lives in the future. But, by one estimate, our love for fossil fuels may
already be responsible for more deaths than those caused by wars, murders, and
traffic accidents combined.

These
figures come from the 2012 Climate Vulnerability Monitor. In 2010, some 4.5
million deaths could be attributed to air pollution, because of the production
of carbon particles and nitrogen oxides. Another 500,000 deaths that year could
be attributed to changes in climate, which lead to extreme weather events,
flare ups in infectious diseases, and other disastrous phenomena.

Of
course, things are only going to get worse. But few people will understand what
“worse” will look like in the future. Better to think about how our fossil fuel
use is already affecting the planet and its inhabitants, and be proactive.
 Just how bad is it? (see graphs below)

On this thought provoking topic, we close of this
final newsletter in 2015 with some practical suggestions for road users during
the holiday season:

·         Don’t
drink and drive

·         Be
nice it’s contagious

·         Keep
a GOOD following distance

·         Slow
down – enjoy the drive and save some emissions while you are about it

·         Don’t drive fatigued – regular rest
breaks will ensure you arrive safely &, finally

·         Don’t
be a Distracted Driver – that means not only not misusing the phone, it’s also
all those other distracting things that prevent you focusing on the task of
driving.

Till
next year - Drive Safe and think of what kind of world you would like to leave
your children – and how you should drive to survive…