This morning was another close call. My wife was about to enter an intersection near our west Vancouver home when a large pickup truck, traveling at a high rate of speed, barreled through a full red light and would have broadsided her had she not been paying close attention. Hearing about it, I recalled the tragic accident southbound on I-5 at the 99th Street exit in mid-July, where an “inattentive” driver hit and killed a 64-year-old woman who was stopped in traffic due to an earlier I-5 accident.
As I drive in the area, whether on the highway or surface streets, I see repeated incidents of speeding — often at outrageous speeds — by drivers who seem bent not on getting somewhere quickly, but on intimidation. The practice of driving right up to someone’s rear bumper and barely missing as they pass and re-enter the same lane, again nearly hitting someone, is now commonplace. What is now not so commonplace is the presence of a patrol car.
If you are reading this, and sometimes drive recklessly: please consider the potential consequences of your behavior and slow down. And if you are one of our leaders, we need more police and State Patrol presence on our post-COVID streets and highways.
