National No Rush Day: The Old Town Astronomical Clock commemorates 138 dead

Fortunately, the suspension of the processions does not mean that the clock is broken, the reason is entirely symbolic. The world-famous monument, along with other important institutions, has joined the National Take It Easy Day project, which deals with road safety and is intended to remind us that the speed with which we try to move through life often has tragic consequences. Last year alone, 138 people did not return from their trips due to unreasonable driving.

Driving on Czech highways and roads is more and more reminiscent of a battlefield full of adrenaline. We live in an era of constant race against hours, minutes and seconds. We try to achieve what cannot be achieved. We are in a hurry because we don’t have time. And trying to catch up leads to dangerous speed behind the wheel. The National No-Hurry Day, organized by the Czech Insurance Association for the second time, reminds us that the norm should be safety behind the wheel, and not haste.

Relentless data

Data from police accident statistics from 2011 to 2023 and other research speak for themselves. Nine out of ten drivers admit to breaking the speed limit, 43% of drivers speed because they are running late, 33% of fatal accidents are caused by excessive speed and a third of fatal accidents are caused by young drivers.

National No Rush Day is an opportunity to think about how we can reduce these statistics. The idea is to give people a little more time for a day to do their usual activities by delaying them by a few minutes… That way people don’t have to rush them behind the wheel as much. It’s about realizing that not everything is an emergency worth risking lives at an unreasonable speed.

A reminder of lost lives

Several public institutions point out that there is no need to constantly rush somewhere and take reckless risks. For example, the astronomical clock on Prague’s Old Town Square stands out. One of the most famous clocks in the world will be connected at exactly ten o’clock. Every full hour, a procession of the apostles takes place on the clock, i.e. the figures of the twelve apostles appearing in the window. This mechanism will be symbolically suspended and the death knell will ring 138 times for every life lost last year due to speeding.

One of the partners of the project is also the Football Association of the Czech Republic with its national cup competition MOL Cup. As part of it, the kick-off will be postponed by a few minutes…

The National Theater will also join in, delaying its ballet performance called bpm. At the same time, it is very symbolic, because the game deals with the pace and beat of the human heart….

Stress triggers diseases

In addition, according to many medical studies, rushing and the resulting stress is a frequent trigger of serious mental and physical illnesses. This is also why experts from the Czech Association of Insurance Companies are appealing for a symbolic relaxation of our lives through the aforementioned initiative.

13 MINUTES

The National Day Without Rush follows on from the successful 13 MINUTE project, which was created by the Czech Association of Insurance Companies. The name refers to the average time a driver saves on the journey from Prague to Brno if he exceeds the speed limit by 20 kilometers per hour. The intention was to point out the absurd profit-risk imbalance of this time transaction and to question whether the 13 minutes saved is worth a human life….