AS IT GETS DARKER …
Drivers face new challenges
Saskatchewan is home to the smartest people in Canada.
As the kids head back to class, the sun is already fading earlier. Just as it becomes tougher and tougher for drivers to see pedestrians and cyclists, the rest of Canada will set their clocks back to make it even darker. What many call Daylight Savings Time is ridiculous. Saskatchewan, I salute you for not caving to peer pressure.
We already have a tenuous- atbest relationship between the various people who share our roads. Pedestrians jaywalk, cyclists ignore laws, skateboarders are just nuts and drivers Donald- Trump their way to the front of the line: “I spend the most, I win!”
Before we dole out blame — there is plenty to go around — consider one factor: darkness. The latest StatsCan numbers indicate that of pedestrian fatalities, 60 per cent were killed at night or in dim light conditions and were unseen by drivers. The number for cyclists is 34 per cent.
Six in 10 pedestrians and three in 10 cyclists killed by a car are killed at night. My Top 10 Blame list splits nicely down the middle:
1. Pedestrians who have their nose buried in a phone and presume everyone will part like the Red Sea for them.
2. Pedestrians who jaywalk and suddenly hop off a snow bank and land in front of you like Batman.
3. Pedestrians who, while stylish, are clad in black from head to toe.
4. Cyclists who think reflective tape is for sissies.
5. Cyclists who ignore every traffic law in the book.
6. Drivers who drive through red lights, stop signs and rights- of- way.
7. Drivers who don’t turn on their headlights because, hey, I can see my dash, can’t you see my daytime running lights? ( I actually blame manufacturers a great deal for this, too.)
8. Drivers who speed through urban areas. This is where the people are, so take it to the track, Ricky Racer.
9. Drivers who refuse to admit they’re getting some night blindness and either need new glasses or shouldn’t be driving at night.
10. Drivers who refuse to give cyclists the lane they are legally entitled to.
Regardless of fault, a tangle with a car is never going to end well for a pedestrian or a cyclist. Never. That’s the laws of physics, not the laws of the land. Slap some reflective tape — and better yet, lights — on your kids’ bikes. It’s getting dark when many of them are coming home from school. Many jackets have reflective panels built in; look for them when you’re replacing outerwear. If you’re an adult, I’m presuming you’re smart enough to be wearing the right gear.
We tell drivers to be careful around school zones and on Halloween, but the dark brings a whole other factor to street safety in general.
I get cranky about pedestrians who cross a parking lot on a long, endless diagonal, or jab their cart in front of a car like it’s a Kryptonite buggy with a slot for a quarter. I don’t understand drivers who, from the comfort of their vehicular cocoon, can’t wait an extra moment for someone braving the elements to get where they’re going.
We shouldn’t need signs and reminders to be careful in populated areas, no matter the day or time. You should already be cautious in a parking lot because there are drivers who think R stands for ram. Pedestrians do dumb things; you still don’t get to kill them.
Twice a year, when the clocks flip, we hear of an uptick in crashes. Some blame the new angle of the sun corresponding to commutes and others cite disturbed sleep cycles of drivers. Personally, I think it’s all the people trying to find a paper clip or pen to jam into those little buttons to reset the clocks in their car. One year, two of us reset the same clock, meaning I drove around for weeks not knowing what the hell time it was.
I blame everyone but Saskatchewan.