Last week, while I was driving on Highway 3 from Sparwood to Fernie, vehicles in front of me were slowing down to under 40 km/hr when passing a police officer.
I find this type of driving behaviour to be not only annoying, but also dangerous. Drivers aren’t expecting such a significant change in traffic, especially when there is not a construction zone in sight.
According to B.C.’s Slow Down Move Over rule, drivers are required to slow their speed to 70 km/hr when in an 80 km/hr or over zone and they are required to switch lanes when driving on a multi-lane road.
There are two significant stretches of multi-lane road between Sparwood and Fernie and it was in one of those stretches that I noticed vehicles slowing down to 40 km/hr in addition to switching lanes.
I understand that drivers don’t want to be ticketed for speeding, and slowing down when passing the R.C.M.P. is instinctual, but it is also important not to obstruct traffic. Slamming on your brakes when you see an officer pulling someone over is not safe and can cause more harm than good, especially if the drivers behind you are not expecting this kind of sudden alteration to speed.
Another issue that was brought to my attention this week — apparently, during the May long weekend, drivers were throwing garbage at construction workers near the Elko rock cuts. This kind of behaviour is extremely disrespectful. Construction during the summer months is essential in order to improve the safety of our roadways. I understand the frustration that comes with having to sit and wait in traffic, but it is a necessary evil.
Throwing garbage at the person in charge of directing single alternating traffic isn’t going to make things go any faster and it is horrible behaviour. You don’t expect people to come into your place of work and throw garbage at you because they are unhappy with your work, so why would you do so to someone else? These individuals are simply doing their job!
I sincerely hope this never happens again. It truly is a shame to know that there are people on this earth who act this way and have no respect for others. This type of behaviour could be viewed as harassment. I just hope that the individuals responsible have since reflected on their actions and have gained an understanding of just how disrespectful they were being.
