Dangerous driving is the problem

Speed per se is not the problem — dangerous driving is.

I’ve pointed out the ability of police feet on the street to spot dangerous drivers and get them off the road immediately.

Recently, I observed a driver take advantage of an amber light — he clearly could have stopped — then pass a car on the right using an exit lane, then jump around between lanes without signalling. Several kilometres later, he was no further ahead in the traffic (moving close to the speed limit but quite busy).

I agree in principle that meaningful penalties are needed, such as jail time. Key, however, is re-education for those who can be educated. There’s a reluctance to jail people because of the impact on families especially financial. Sometimes drivers are limited to certain hours and routes to support work — but detecting when they violate those conditions takes police on the street.

A side comment: Roadblocks catch people driving without a licence or with outstanding warrants. I learned that when I inquired one day after seeing a number of cars being towed from Esquimalt Road near the town hall.

Roadblocks, of course, take resources, so can’t be done as often as one police officer observing traffic and a couple of officers down the road a bit to apprehend. Keith Sketchley Saanich