Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Reducing inequality among road injured

Data has been available for some time that shows Maori are statistically more likely to be involved in a road accident. Now the University of Auckland has measured the risk for Maori children in that region:

Maori children are 65 per cent more likely to be killed or hurt on our roads than children of other ethnicities.

This is synonymous with heightened risk of poverty, neglect, abuse, ill-health, educational under-achievement,  involvement with crime, etc. It is hardly surprising. What captured me was this sentence:

University of Auckland researcher Dr Jamie Hosking said the report highlighted what needed to be done to reduce inequality among those injured.

Another 'inequality obsessed' academic not thinking through the implications of his words.

A reduction in inequality amongst the injured could be achieved if more 'rich' people had accidents. Or more Asians, who are apparently the safest road users.

The goal is surely a reduction of injuries irrespective of ethnicity or economic status.

Does he come out with this sanitised-speak simply to avoid saying, we need to see an improvement in the safety practices around and on roads by Maori, and particularly Maori parents?


Of course describing road-risk  as an 'inequality' problem segues nicely into the logical next step which is, naturally enough, to spend more money righting it.

1 comment:

Brendan McNeill said...

It would appear that our Universities are as dangerous as our roads.