My letter to the Editor

Below is my submission to the local paper feel free to review at your leisure:


Let cooler heads prevail

At this time of year the roads are often less then favourable for driving on, and as the city struggles to keep up with the ever changing conditions many drivers seem to be frustrated. In particular I am noticing a disturbing trend amongst the hustle and bustle of city traffic, people “riding the bumper” of somebody who they feel is going too slow. Now way back in drivers education there was always a footnote when driving and that was to drive to the conditions and drive at a pace you feel comfortable, also leaving the appropriate distance between you and the other vehicle for safety reasons. I think that many people have forgotten this, or in their moment of frustration decide to ignore it altogether.

When I am travelling home and see some person driving their small front wheel drive car with a large Dodge 4x4 a mere 3 feet behind them I am frightened to think what the possible outcomes may be. The person being followed may feel pressure to speed up (in some cases when they are already at the posted limits sometimes beyond) and increase the chance of them losing control and causing an accident, or get rear ended by the careless person behind them should a sudden stop occur.

I have heard countless stories of this scenario with a few tales about the drivers following the person for several city blocks travelling dangerously close and scaring the drivers, especially the elderly and families with young children in the vehicle attempting to prove some point. Hearing this gives me a sick feeling knowing that there are certain reckless individuals with no respect or care about anyone’s well being. These individuals seem callous in this scenario as they show a total disregard to the dangers they are creating for the person they are tailing as well as the people around them that could be affected should an accident occur. No matter what they think, there is no justification for this action and its both sickening and shocking to hear.

I myself have had this happen the other day on my way home from work, driving the posted speed limit and still had somebody purposely following me close as if to prove a point. Yes I get it, you have a 4 wheel drive traction machine and can drive as fast you like with that added traction. However, in my car I will slip at icy intersections as I start to move and not matter how close you feel the need to follow, I will not risk causing an accident by driving the 80km/h you think the traffic should be going. All the while I am watching your vehicle and making sure that I will not have to make any sudden stops so I don’t get rear ended and injured as a result.

If you see somebody driving slightly slower than the flow of traffic and you can pass, please do so. If not keep your cool, riding the bumper and causing a larger chance of an accident is not the right reaction no matter what your reasoning may be. You think you are proving a point showing them you believe they are going too slow, what you are really doing is proving that you are a dangerous driver and causing more harm then good. There are enough accidents, injuries, and deaths that occur this time of year, think about what you are doing before you decide to contribute to those numbers. Patience is a virtue; please let cooler heads prevail for everyone’s sake.