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This appeared in APN, the Anglo-Portuguese News, a weekly English-language newpaper for the expatriate community in Portugal

The APN of Nov. 23 carried a very interesting letter by Mike Hentall suggesting that lack of familial background was responsible for the atrocious nature of Portuguese driving. This is an intriguing theory, one that might be examined by looking at other countries where widespread automobile ownership is relatively recent.

But it is his suggestion that this could be dealt with by voiding the insurance of drivers who cause serious accidents that is truly innovative and raises all kinds of interesting questions. If a drunken cabinet minister or influential businessman rams his Porsche at 200 km/h into the rear end of an old pick-up driven by a gypsy or African immigrant, whom will the Portuguese justice system find at fault? And will the policemen who already have the unhappy duty of informing families that a husband and father has been killed in a terrible auto accident also have the responsibility to tell the grieving relatives that since their husband and father was found to be at fault, they are now financially ruined and have 24 hours to evacuate their home?

Perhaps the most interesting part of his idea is how it changes the relationship that we have with our insurance companies. If I have an accident it is nice to know that they will go to bat for me and try to show that the other party is at fault, but if Mr. Hentall's idea is adopted, they will instead try to show that I was totally and irresponsibly at fault.

May I offer an equally draconian, but perhaps more practical suggestion? What about simply enforcing existing laws. For example, if the agencies that put speed monitors on the Marginal and other highways also installed cameras to catch those annoying folks who set off the red lights by speeding and then just continue driving, leaving more law-abiding fools to stop, then I suspect that it would prove a major source of funding for the GNR.

Yours truly,

William Silvert
Paço de Arcos

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