We’ve all likely seen a young driver squeal their tires as they whip out of a parking lot or fail to watch the road as they commisserate with friends riding in their car. We grip our own steering wheel a little tighter — maybe we even cluck or mutter under our breath.
But how many of us are truly blameless when it comes to careless driving?
Alberta Transportation is focusing on young drivers in particular throughout the month of May, pointing out that drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal collision as any other age group. The campaign to nip bad habits like tailgating and distracted driving in the bud is admirable — but it’s interesting to note that local RCMP detachments state they haven’t so much noticed the greater percentage of youth involved in collisions as they have noticed people across all ages neglecting simple safety measures like wearing a seat belt.
Alberta Transportation says distracted drivers are three times more likely to be in a collision than their distraction-free counterparts. How many of us say we’d never text and drive, yet still sneak surreptitious glances at our cellphones as we rocket down the highway or crawl through school zones?
Athabasca town council has made the road separating the baseball diamonds from the Athabasca Regional Multiplex parking lot a playground area in the hopes that signs depicting children chasing after balls will encourage drivers to exercise some caution. It differs from a playground zone in that there’s no decreased speed limit.
While the signs are a great gesture, it is still down to individuals to decide how much caution and reduced speed is required.
If drivers’ behaviour to date on the road in question is any indication, there’s a vast and dangerous spectrum of what drivers believe is safe. Cars are often parked on either side of the road when there’s a baseball game on; this reduces visibility to the degree that if a child were to step out onto the road — never mind a person get out of one of the parked vehicles — even someone travelling at 50 km/h would have difficulty stopping in time.
Let’s remember that reckless driving isn’t just the peacocking of youths. It’s easy to excuse in ourselves when in reality, it’s inexcusable.
