Is it just me, or is human behaviour becoming more baffling every day?
For example, one resident of the Lower Mainland has been ticketed 14 times over the past five years for distracted driving. How much brainpower does it take to figure out that using an electronic device while driving could have catastrophic consequences? More to the point, why does that individual still have a licence?
On a different note, why do some folks let their cherished canine companions roam around the back of moving pick-up trucks? It is no secret that in the event of a collision, those unfortunate pooches will be launched onto the roadway resulting in serious abrasions or worse. Likewise, in an accident or a sudden stop, an unsecured pet could pinball around the interior of a vehicle, causing injuries to both the pet and the driver.
Speaking of pinballing, how hard is it to return shopping carts to their storage compound in mall parking lots? It’s no secret that abandoned carts have a tendency to roll into stationary vehicles, subsequently damaging paint jobs and creating headaches for the owners of the vehicles.
In the same general location, why are more drivers taking the lazy approach and impeding traffic by parking in restricted fire lane areas?
Does anybody have information about why cars and trucks still come with turn signals even though fewer motorists actually use them?
And who knows why some drivers insist on tailgating the vehicle in front of them in a school zone? The 30 km/hour restriction is clearly inscribed on the road and on approaching signage. Bullying the driver ahead of you won’t change the speed limit.
On another front, you have to wonder why coffee and fast-food purveyors haven’t clued in that we live on the Wet Coast. How about installing protective canopies at drive-thru outlets for customers who have to roll down their windows to pick up their orders in the pouring rain?
Of greater concern is the rising level of roadside litter associated with that industry. How can we convince some select members of the driving public, who exhibit the IQ of a meatloaf, to stop tossing fast-food detritus out of their vehicles onto roadways and parking lots?
Granted, some of these observations could be construed as more whining about trivial First World annoyances. Irate readers may even be compelled to set this page alight or use it for purposes for which it was not intended – or shut off their screens. But let’s remember, the small stuff can add up, and that accumulation could eventually propel us into Third World territory.
