By Tim Schewe
Perhaps the most effective way to improve road safety is by improving road user attitude.
If selfish and unsafe behaviours can be shown as detrimental and users convinced to choose what is beneficial on their own reaching our Vision Zero targets have a better chance of being successful. Some people are willing to change their outlook when it makes sense to do so, but we also share the road with those who are not willing.
A prime example of those who are not willing was found in a letter to the editor of the Nanaimo News Bulletin on July 25, 2017 attributed to a D. Parker of Victoria.
Here’s a driver who ran a red light while making a left turn and received a red light camera ticket in the mail for that action. He justifies himself by saying that he is a pensioner who doesn’t take risks, opposing traffic was stopped and he wasn’t told that a red light camera was in operation at that intersection. The $167 penalty was a ripoff and from now on he’s going to prefer visits to municipalities that don’t have red light cameras.
Do you think that the real message in that letter to the editor was “I don’t like the fact that automated enforcement is holding me to account for my mistake”?
We may have to become more accepting of automated enforcement in order to keep our Autoplan rates low if we do not want to adopt a no fault plan.
Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement. To comment or learn more, please visit DriveSmartBC.ca