THIS is Road Safety Week, a national event which should help to focus attention on an often disregarded fact – that the motor vehicle is not only a mode of transport but also potentially deadly weapon.

That, of course, describes motor transport in the most extreme terms, but even here in Jersey, an Island with a maximum speed limit of 40 mph and few stretches of truly open road, we see far too many traffic accidents and, sadly, occasional fatalities. We also see far too many cases of bad driving which, through luck rather than driver judgment, do not result in accidents.

Alcohol continues to play a regrettable role in motoring incidents, though it is true to say that many of today’s young motorists have a far more responsible attitude to drinking and driving than their elders did when they were young. The message that drink-driving is not only a serious crime but also socially unacceptable appears to be getting through.

Both in spite of and because of the Island’s many narrow roads speed is another factor prejudicing road safety. Efforts to curtail the activities of motorists who speed have been stepped up, but there is merit in the Jersey Road Safety Panel’s latest proposal to curb speeding – penalty points, the accumulation of which could lead to disqualification.

This is a system that has been employed successfully in the UK for many years and there would seem to be no compelling reasons to indicate that it would be ineffective here. Indeed, the penalty point sanction could be applied to a range of dangerous and anti-social driving practices – such as careless driving or driving without insurance – to complement present deterrent sentencing policies.

That said, no one should underestimate the effectiveness of what amounts to education and the constant repetition of pertinent road safety messages. Repeated campaigns have certainly had an effect on the incidence of drink-driving, though quite obviously it has not been eradicated.

As Road Safety Panel vice-chairman Peter Tabb has urged, motorists must be encouraged to ask themselves serious questions about the speed at which they drive, the way in which they drive and their attitudes to other road users. ‘Perhaps we should always ask ourselves if anything is really so urgent that shaving a second or two off our journey is worth hazarding life and limb’ are wise words.