To the Editor,
Last month I came all too close to accidentally running over a young family of three. I was driving up a steep hill in the dark. On a rising curve there was no street light to illuminate any pedestrians. A man, carrying a young child, and a woman were walking on the lane pavement with their backs to any oncoming cars. They all wore black.
They were practically invisible to any drivers. It was only because I was wearing yellow-lens driving glasses which enhance vision contrast at night that I was able to glimpse anyone at all.
At the last moment I veered and missed hitting them. I dread thinking of this close call. I stopped to let them know that they couldn’t be seen in the dark.
I hope others, including cyclists and skateboarders, will make efforts to be visible at night. Such safety takes little effort and may prevent horrific harm.
If there are no sidewalks, the rule is to walk on the edge of the road, facing oncoming vehicles so you can jump out of the way if necessary. Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, walking in the traffic lane with your back to the cars is just asking for trouble.
Gary KorpanNanaimo
