A couple of days ago, a friend mentioned to me that when he visited Turkey, the thing that struck him most was how responsible for one’s own safety the average citizen is expected to be. Roadworks don’t usually have big barriers around them— you’re expected to be smart enough not to walk around in a dangerous area. If you have children, it’s your responsibility to protect them and teach them to protect themselves. It’s not the government’s job. If people wear safety equipment, it’s because they choose to, not because there are any rules forcing them to (as a result, most people don’t wear safety equipment, but that’s another topic for another day). Turkey only recently enacted a motorcycle helmet law, but apparently it’s not all that rigidly enforced, judging from the number of people I see hanging their helmets from the handlebars while they ride.
There are good and bad sides to each of these observations, but I’m reminded of a story I read a few years ago about a town that removed all the road markings and signs in a certain area where there had been a record number of traffic accidents. The result of removing all the markings? All of a sudden drivers had to pay attention to what they were doing. They didn’t have the nanny system to baby them anymore. They had to look around them, assess what was safe using their eyes and ears, and make logical decisions based on those assessments. It was no longer about blindly following the signs and expecting someone else to be responsible for everything. Drivers slowed down, watched the road, and watched out for each other. The traffic accident rate fell drastically.
I think there’s a lot to be said for personal responsibility… though whether one chooses to exercise it is another issue entirely.