"A good driver is somebody who drives safely, which means driving with the brain rather than showing that you drive fast."
That was a quote from Michael Schumacher on Wednesday when he launched the UN decade of action on Road Safety, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, writes Brian Byrne.
The campaign aims at reducing road fatalities by 50 percent over the next 10 years and he met MEPs from the transport and industry committees as well as European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek.
Schumacher was particularly making a pitch for 'intelligent' safety technology in new cars, which he believes can make a serious impack on the road deaths situation. "It's amazing to see what has happened in the last 10 years," he told parliamentarians and others at the launch. "Previously we only had airbags and electronically controlled systems. Now you have night vision, you can see children running across the road, you can avoid an accident that you don't see but the car does. And I feel much safer these days. We are all human, we all make mistakes … so I think technology is a great asset. If your car can help you, that's great."
The many times World Champion driver also said the rules of the road are there for a reason, and that there is no need for using high speeds on the open road. "Nobody really cares about that. There is no point, there is no prize money. You'd better take care of people, because that’s what really counts."
On the question as to whether a 300km/h driver who has been involved in a number of accidents on the race track is confortable with being an ambassador for safety, he said he was. "Because I believe that people have much more trust in my words than any politician's recommendations. I have a lot of experience and therefore, I guess, I can give very good advice."
