Typically, it’s the white-out, ice falling from the sky, windy blizzard conditions that make Albertans think of dangerous roads, with most people in the routine of leaving the house a few minutes early when it’s cold out to arrive at a location on time.
But, it’s when the sun shines and the road are dry that we often hear daily about motor vehicle collisions, some claim lives, while others leave people with lifelong injuries.
On Friday afternoon and evening, local RCMP was busy tending to a couple motor vehicle collisions in the area. Thankfully, neither was fatal, but both resulted in injuries to young people.
Sometimes, the causes of the incidents aren’t easily distinguishable. A number of factors can be the route cause – a lack of experience behind the wheel, speed, inattention, or a list of other things. The thing to take away is that even in the summer months, when people are excited to be heading out for a weekend of fun, extra care and caution is required on roadways.
Aside from the accidents themselves that occur, another key piece that people need to repeatedly be reminded of is that it is absolutely crucial to slow down when passing emergency vehicles that are responding to the incidents.
There are laws in place to keep our emergency workers safe, but they do no good if people ignore them, or allow themselves to be distracted by the scene itself. Care and attention is once again the key piece to keeping everyone safe.
And although another school year is about to wrap up, throughout the year, every year, there are countless reports of motorists not abiding by the rules made to keep our most vulnerable little citizens safe.
Flashing lights and stop signs are clearly visible during the morning and afternoon hours in town, on highways and on back roads, yet people still proceed to speed past school buses, neglecting to wait those few seconds extra.
A same set of careful rules should be stuck in people’s minds when driving near playground zones year-round.
Heading out for a weekend of camping, leaving school or work on a Friday afternoon, or taking a walk to a nearby park shouldn’t be dangerous. And if everyone takes an extra moment to watch for other motorists and pedestrians, slow down and keep their eyes on the road, we will all be able to enjoy the warm summer season.
