We all await the winter months, wondering whether the snow will fall, willing school to be closed, and having snowball fights with our friends, but is the beauty and bliss of snow masking the dangers of these deadly snowflakes?
Snow is a wonderful thing that people of all ages enjoy. Whether it be little children enjoying making snow angels, teenagers wishing school was closed so they can have a snowball fight, or adults reminiscing the days when they remembered snow, it is always a fun and exciting time in the year.
However, perhaps the beauty of snow is masking the hidden dangers underneath. Recent statistics from America show that 116,000 people are injured by snow, slush and ice every winter, and 1,300 are killed by the white stuff!
With figures so drastic, is it right for parents to encourage their children to play in the snow, when they could get injured?
Perhaps we should look to the government to solve the issue of the deadly snow. Each year, it is estimated that they spend £150 million to grit the countries roads! This may seem drastic – which it is – but the government would have to pay around £2 billion to cover the costs and damages if they didn’t grit the roads! So, it seems a small price to pay for everyone’s safety. But are they doing enough?
This year, hundreds of thousands of houses were left without power for hours – some even for days – myself included. But some people are still without power, water and supplies, with one village having to burn their furniture just to keep warm enough to survive.
As always, it comes back down to the argument of money – but, some may ask, can you put a price on life? With thousands of people stranded in their homes with no water, electricity or heating, can the government really call that providing the basic human rights to these people? And why hasn’t something been done to help these people sooner?
A mum of 2 from Petts Wood said “I spent a day looking after two young children with no power, heating, or hot water – I can’t imagine what it is like for people who have spent weeks without these things! It’s not right and the government should be doing something about it”.
I believe that despite budget cuts, party policies, and Brexit, the government could be doing more to help these people who are in desperate need of their basic human rights!
Perhaps this crisis has shown the government that they need to do more to help the public – rather than worry about issues that do not concern us as a country.
