We love our vehicles, don’t we? Whether they have two, four or 18 wheels, we invest enough in our rides, in a town of 3,000 people, to support three auto dealerships, four garages, three car washes and an ever-growing number of gas stations.
Take last week’s ‘Cruisin’ for a Cause’ event, for example. Dozens of vehicles stop at A&W every day, but on that particular day, with the involvement of certain classic vehicles, A&W was able to parlay that vehicular traffic into a nice contribution to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, which is a good thing.
But there’s also such a thing as too much of a good thing.
School is back in this week, which necessitates that local police be present to enforce the school zones motorists have blissfully ignored for the past two months. Ideally, drivers ought to be trusted to obey school zones without a reminder, but experience tells us that’s unrealistic.
Meanwhile, next week is National Trucking Week; it’s not widely promoted, but it’s nevertheless a good time to recognize how much we rely on commercial transport to supply the goods we need in our day-to-day lives. Also, it’s a reminder that we need to share our highways and byways with all vehicles, big and small, to ensure we all reach our destinations safely.
As Boyle/Athabasca Integrated Traffic Unit Sgt. Sonny Kim notes, it all boils down to respect.
We respect those who maintain their classic vehicles in pristine condition, and we buy and maintain our own vehicles as a means to garner respect. The challenge – especially this month – is to carry that forward and drive with respect to others, whether it’s children walking to school or semi drivers with whom we share the highway.
Driving is a privilege, not a right. We need to respect that.
