After a relaxing evening Sept. 8 at a Salmon Arm eatery, the drive home for Phaedra Idzan, her spouse Ivan and a friend of theirs was anything but calming.
As Phaedra pulled up about 9:30 p.m. to a red light on 10th Street SW at the intersection with the Trans-Canada Highway, the highway light was clearly yellow. At the same time, she and Ivan could see a westbound transport truck heading for the light, clearly not slowing down.
“We saw him barrelling down the highway and we said, he’s not going to stop. I laid on the horn for a good 10 seconds and he blew right by us,” she said.
However, cheers quickly erupted in her vehicle, as the emergency lights on a police vehicle heading east at the intersection were switched on as it did a U-turn on the highway, heading after the semi.
Phaedra said while the incident was shocking, it’s not the first time she’s seen similar situations. On regular commutes between Salmon Arm and Sicamous on Highway 1, she’s had too many close calls. Semis tailgating her, crossing the centre line, driving erratically ahead of her.
“It’s not just the semis, it’s people in general, but I’ve had a lot of encounters with semis,” she said.
Those encounters are why she exchanged her vehicle for a larger model, and why she bought a dash-cam. Unfortunately, that dash-cam has now been used for just the purpose she intended.
“It was almost like something out of a movie; it’s hard to believe it’s happening in front of you, it’s so surreal.”
Like a movie, the incident can now be replayed. Phaedra put it on her YouTube channel, Phaedra Idzan.
She noted she’s always careful at intersections, particularly at night, and waits two to three seconds before she proceeds.
Her spouse Ivan contacted the trucking company right away, providing a link to the dash-cam footage. He received a response, saying thank you and committing to finding the vehicle and taking action against the driver.
Phaedra wrote on her YouTube channel that the incident is proof why, “once again, Salmon Arm NEEDS red light cameras at intersections on the Trans-Canada Highway.”
Read more: Salmon Arm’s request for red light camera on Highway 1 draws attention of province
Read more: Resident calls for action at Salmon Arm intersection after witnessing truck behaviour
Read more: Video: Semi truck running red light nearly collides with car in Salmon Arm
