On the Vidzeme highway, there is a section with electronic road signs that usually indicate the maximum allowable speed depending on weather and road conditions. In summer, it was 110 km/h. One of the viewers of the show “Uz līnijas” on TV24 shared an observation and expressed outrage: “Two cars are driving — one at 90 km/h, the other at 110 km/h. The driver who was going 90 km/h was holding the steering wheel with one hand — the other hand was on the phone, which he was talking on,” writes LA.LV.
The situation and the general behavior of drivers were commented on by Janis Vanks, head of the Safe Driving School: “It’s a disaster — mobile phones while driving and any actions not related to operating the vehicle are extremely dangerous! We have talked a lot about this.”
Although Vanks is not quick to place the blame solely on modern technology and cars, he acknowledges:
“Part of the blame lies here, because modern cars have become very easy to handle — starting with automatic transmissions and power steering, which have long been considered something taken for granted, and ending with lane-keeping assistants, cruise control, and other active and passive safety systems.”
In his opinion, all of this has “spoiled” drivers: “They become bored, driving such cars becomes too easy. And then the driver starts to come up with silly things while driving, not paying attention to the road because they rely on electronic assistants.”
Vanks reminded that by law, the driver behind the wheel is responsible for their actions. “The existence of electronic assistants does not exempt one from responsibility — if they fail to work at some point, that will definitely not be an excuse,” he emphasized.
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