It would appear, judging by the number of near misses with pedestrians lately, that Sunshine Coast motorists are in bad need of remedial driving lessons.
We thought with the advent of the new four-way stops throughout Sechelt that it would be safer for folks using their feet, but such is not the case. Now instead of drivers watching for walkers, they're concentrating on other drivers, hell bent on not being deprived of their turn to go. It's almost as though the person in the crosswalk has become invisible.
And it isn't only Sechelt that has the myopic drivers. Gibsons is similarly challenged. One pedestrian told us about his adventures in trying to get across the street to Tim Hortons - not one but two successive drivers practically flattened him in their haste to make a left turn. Fortunately for him he was able to step lively and avoid being crushed like a bug.
It's time to wake up, folks. We live in an area populated by an older demographic. Not everyone has the wherewithal to be able to jump out of the way of a motoring misfit. For many folks, walkers and other aids are a fact of life.
Another driving blooper that seems to appear every year about this time is the lack of headlights. There's nothing like a rainy day in January to make visibility impossible. Yet every morning there's some well-meaning soul driving down the highway in his near-invisible white car with no lights on. Talk about ghost riders in the sky - that's where at least one of them ends up every year.
And while we're on the subject of headlights, please don't have your lights on bright when you're following someone on a stormy night. Just because they don't have your need for speed doesn't give you the right to light up their vehicle like a Christmas tree, making the road all by impossible to see. Yes, we know it's a pain to follow someone who is going 30 kilometres below the speed limit, but running him or her off the road really isn't an option.
There are many other infractions that take place regularly. Many people appear not to know it's illegal to cross a double solid line to make a left turn into a driveway or shop. And the ones who insist on doing it just behind a blind corner are all but asking for a trip to the cemetery.
We know our road is a challenge. We have many concerns; some like the ongoing line of ferry traffic on a black rainy night are beyond anyone's control. However, in the meantime, if everyone attempts to follow the rules of the road, watches for pedestrians and keeps their cool we should all arrive alive.
