I was driving down Springbank Drive, headed for the cemetery, when traffic was slowing down and merging into one lane. Driving a mini-van sometimes gives me a height advantage so that I can see what's happening up ahead. Lo and behold, a police car had a cab pulled over.
I grinned, smiled and thought to myself, it's about time.
I'm not sure what the cab drivers are like in other cities but here in London, Ontario, the majority of them are atrocious drivers. I'm not sure if it's because they are running a business driving cab/taxi, or if they are just plain ignorant, but most of the taxi drivers barely follow the rules of the road.
There is the speeding issue. There is no excuse for driving 20 - 30 kilometres over the posted speed limit, regardless of what the reason may be. This is coming from a woman who does an absurd amount of driving as part of her job. Unless you're driving an ambulance with lights and sirens going, slow down!
Seat belts are another issue. Everyone in a vehicle equipped with them should be wearing them correctly. Passengers of taxicabs are not exempt from this law. If you only knew what damage is caused to the human body when it is ejected from a rear seat after the vehicle travelling 80 kms/hr has stopped suddenly due to a collision. Let me tell you, it isn't pretty. I've seen what happens to people who are not properly belted in, and believe me, you do not want me to be your last ride.
Aggressive driving is also a pet peeve of mine where taxicab drivers are concerned. And the lack of use of turn signals. And the general attitude that they own the road.
I hope that driver was duly fined for whatever infraction caused his little roadside vacation. Thank you to the police officer for upholding the laws of the road.
If you drive, please continue to do so safely. I don't want to be picking up anyone I know.
Ok, rant over. :)
Eboo, I remember being just astonished at how terrible most of the drivers in London were, not just the Taxis! I wonder if it's the 'small town' mentality, or if people really don't understand how a left turn lane works, or how to properly use their signals (As in: Signal BEFORE you change lanes, not AS you're doing it).
ReplyDeleteDH and I moved to Calgary, and while we've got a population of over 2x London, the drivers here tend to be more considerate. They weren't always good drivers (and some people still aren't). They had to be trained to do that though - there was a time when running a yellow light got you the same fine as running a red, and when you could get a ticket for having your vehicle anywhere in a crosswalk at the same time as a pedestrian. These temporary bylaws were put into effect to re-establish the importance of safe driving habits because too many unnecessary 'accidents' were happening.
Keep up the fight for good driving!!
People are horrible here also. They have started installing redlight cameras throughout the city of Philly so hopefully this will help.
ReplyDeleteSeatbelts are a rule in my home and always have been. In fact its so second nature that I have heard the kids reminding there friends to put thers on.
I think that your post is a good reminder that all drivers need to be very aware of safety. Just because you are in a hurry doesn't mean that you should forget basic safely guidelines for driving.
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