A little beef with travelers

Commentary by Emily Plihal
for Smoky River Express

It’s time for me to pick a beef with people driving throughout our great province.

A friend of mine recently approached me complaining about the lack of consideration on our highways, which I tended to agree with him.

My friend is a truck driver, who has noticed throughout the province that motorists are ignoring basic road rules that could save not only their lives but the lives of others.

A little fact, that was also covered on CFRN news lately, is many motorists are cutting off truck drivers.

A semi-truck cannot be stopped on a dime. Especially when they’re full of crude oil or whatever else they may be hauling, they require hundreds of yards to stop.

I often see people passing semis and cutting them off when they go back into their own lane. A little basic rule of thumb should be to ensure you see the entire front of the semi in your rearview mirror before reentering your lane.

Unless you want your last moments to be seeing a semi entering the back end of your vehicle, I would highly recommend taking extra precautions when passing semis.

My friend also discussed how some individuals will pull out in front of him as he is cruising down the highway. He explained that although he is within one hundred yards of an intersection, people will often cut out in front of him just to not have to pass him.

His concern is he will not be able to slow down enough to avoid hitting them, and one day he may kill someone due to their own personal negligence.

Wake up! Semis are cruising down the highway at the same speed you are, with thousands of pounds of weight behind them. They cannot stop on a dime.

It seems everyone in this province is in a rush. I can’t stand driving on many of our highways because I feel I am being pushed to drive too quickly.

Each time I drive on a divided highway, even when travelling in excess of 100 km per hour, I am passed by other motorists as if I am standing still.

Driving over 110 km per hour should not be an option. Speed limits are continuously ignored – perhaps not by all drivers – but by a good portion of them.

Yes, I will admit, there are times when I’ve ignored the law, but I am not proud of my decisions to drive too quickly.

When driving at a quick speed our reaction time shortens. It is not appropriate to be driving if you are so rushed that you cannot drive the speed limit.

Take a few minutes out of your precious day to ensure you are following the speed limit, in the long run your bank account will thank you too.

An RCMP constable recently told me the fines of driving in excess of 100 km.

Driving 10 km over the speed limit will be a fine of $78, 20 km over is $124, 30 km over is $177, 40 km over is $264, and 50 km over the speed limit is a fine of $351. In addition to the fine when driving 50 km over the speed limit, the driver will also acquire an automatic court appearance with a possible suspension of their license.

When driving by emergency vehicles with their lights on, motorists must slow to 60 km. If they do not follow this law, their fine will automatically double. The constable reminds motorists to pay close attention to construction zone speed limits.

Please just remember to slow your roll when on the highways. Killing someone is just not worth the potential five minutes saved.

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