It can seem like such asinine advice, but it’s advice we all get all the time. Every time you leave someone’s place, especially in the winter months, chances are they’ll suggest you drive safely, or drive carefully.
What, do they expect you to drive dangerously, or erratically? Probably not.
Yet it’s hard to hold it against someone for offering that advice, especially in light of the rash of collisions we’ve had recently in the area.
On Thursday and Friday alone, we at the News got photos at three different accident scenes in and around the county, and that’s just the scenes we attended. Thankfully nobody was killed or seriously injured in any of these incidents, but there were some injuries and certainly quite a few people who were, to say the least, shaken up a bit by their experiences.
Collisions and rollovers, of course, are important news for us to report. Every time somebody sees a photo of a flipped car, maybe it will serve as a reminder that “Drive safely” isn’t such bad advice.
But we hate to do it. For every photo and story we run about collisions, there are one or more people who maybe just had one of the worst days of their lives. We’d much rather fill these pages with good news.
Unfortunately, it seems like sometimes there’s more bad news than good, especially on the highways.
Statistics provided by Alberta Transportation show every indication that for the most part, these tragedies and near-tragedies can be avoided.
In 2009, the most recent year for which statistics have been published, about 90 per cent of collisions came as the result of driver error.
The most common error cited in collisions, in 31 per cent of them, is following too close. Running off the road and making unsafe left turns into oncoming traffic are distant seconds, at 15 and 12 per cent. Speeding was a factor in at six per cent, while impaired driving was also a factor, in about three and a half per cent.
So on icy roads, keep it well below the posted limit. Don’t follow too close. If you must pass, make sure you’re in a safe place to do so. And you shouldn’t need us to tell you not to drink and drive.
The last thing we want to do is put a picture of your vehicle on these pages.
