A group of my friends got together on the weekend and they all asked me the same question: What’s with all the road madness in Burnaby?
Three fatalities and one critically injured pedestrian in the past week or so will prompt that kind of question.
Well, I said, there are extenuating circumstances. For one thing, the critically injured pedestrian may have been pushed or accidentally jostled into the oncoming path of a bus.
A second driver was apparently in medical distress, causing a fatal crash.
But things are still crazy out there on Burnaby roads – mostly due to the recklessness of drivers.
So our group starting talking about possible solutions. They ranged from more traffic enforcement by the Burnaby RCMP to more intersections with pedestrian-controlled lights to lowering speeds on residential roads.
There were some good ideas tossed around, but I have one main problem with all of them – none involved drivers changing their habits.
The fact is, we can have all the cops and traffic lights and lowered speeds you want, but until drivers start, well, driving responsibly, none of them will put a dent into the carnage on our roads.
So, I’m putting forward a simple idea – more of an aspiration than anything else – for drivers, including myself, to consider before they even get into their vehicles.
Leave earlier.
Yep, that’s it. Sure, it sounds simple, but how many people actually do this? How many people leave for a destination, such as work or an appointment, at the absolute last second and then find themselves driving like a maniac to get to where they are going?
Likely a lot of people.
It’s human nature to be late and then abandon all common sense on the way. That results in how many asinine decisions on the road that put people’s lives in danger? How many times have you seen somebody pull an insane U-turn or drive along a shoulder and then force their way back into traffic at high speeds – all because they are in a panic to get somewhere?
Imagine if you left 15 minutes early and then just took your time to get where you are going. It’s something I’ve started doing and, frankly, it’s been a life-changer. I feel so much more relaxed on the road because I have extra time.
Look, I know people will scoff at all of this and say that I’m being unrealistic. People always have excuses for doing dumb things and they hold onto “I’m gonna be late!!!” as perhaps the most important one.
But stop. Please stop. People’s lives are at stake.
If you can’t do this simple thing, then do me a favour and just take transit because you are a menace who will hurt somebody one day with your vehicle.
Everybody’s luck runs out if you push it hard enough.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
