Recently I have had at least four near misses on the roads around Sidney that tell me people are just not focused on their driving, too much in a hurry or selfish to a degree that it is inevitable there is going to be a tragedy.
There is a defined relationship between near misses that can predict serious accidents which regrettably are predictors of fatalities.
READ ALSO: B.C. sees drop in distracted driving tickets
When returning from dropping off friends at YYJ four weeks ago, I was already in the roundabout at Willingdon and East Saanich Road. A car approaching from my right was coming at a high rate of speed and the driver never looked at traffic in the roundabout, and a collision was only averted by the fact I was paying attention and able to stop. The rule is simple, yield to traffic in the roundabout.
The second incident was at Bevan and Fifth on June 22 at 7:15 p.m. A woman driving a blue car coming toward Bevan just rolled on through the stop sign without a concern in the world. I had stopped with my granddaughter in the car and was preparing to cross the intersection but as my practise is to look left-right-left, I realized she was going to blow the stop sign and waited. She was too involved in conversation with her passenger and not paying attention to her driving.
While walking on Resthaven at Malaview I was about to cross Malaview when a car pulled up to the stop sign. The driver never looked to his right. He looked left and started turning right on to Resthaven. Had I not been paying attention or insisted on exercising my rights as a pedestrian under the Motor Vehicle Act, I would have been severely injured. A clear case of someone living in their own world, in a hurry and not at all interested in driving safely.
READ ALSO: Sleeping driver hits bus, motorcycle on Pat Bay Highway
At Second and Beacon, a woman traveling up Second wanted to turn right towards the water on Beacon. She never stopped at the stop sign but rolled through even though I had already entered the intersection but paused because some pedestrians changed their mind and turned to cross Beacon rather than Second. The woman who blew the stop sign had to panic stop to avoid hitting the pedestrian.
READ ALSO: CRD tickets cyclists who ignore stop signs at Lochside trail, Saanich Road intersection
When are people going to realize that the world does not revolve around them and their self-inflicted busy lives? Stopping at a stop sign and waiting for traffic to clear takes all of a few seconds.
It’s time for people to get their heads out of the clouds when behind the wheel and focus on the task at hand. If you can’t, get out of your car and take the bus.
READ ALSO: Central Saanich councillor wants free transit for all
Alex Currie
North Saanich
