Distracted Drivers

Now, distracted drivers. A piece in the Metro today mentioned that because traffic accidents and fatalities have fallen for the third consecutive year, some people are saying there is no need for stricter distracted driving legislation such as is already in place in BC. My poor followers on Twitter got a taste of my opinion yesterday when the idiot in the blue car was so busy talking on his cell phone at 52nd and 26th that he completely blocked the crosswalk. The crosswalk on a major road, at a 4 way intersection, between two schools at exactly the time both schools were ending and there were a LOT of children around. Dude, smarten up. Before you hit someone because you're not paying attention, before you cause someone else to hit a kid who had to go into the road to get around you because blocked the crosswalk.

Yes a 25% decrease in traffic injuries is to be commended, but it's nowhere near good enough that we can sit back and stop looking at ways to further decrease injuries and accidents. We need distracted driving legislation, and we need people to be smarter when they're driving - after all, they ARE controlling a potentially lethal weapon.

And dude in the blue car? Put down the phone. Next time you might not be so lucky, next time someone else might not be so lucky!