Editor:
In response to a letter on speeding…
I’m responding to a chippy rebuttal by Andrew which appeared in the June 21 issue of the Rocky Mountain Outlook. I have been in the states, arriving home today when your letter was brought to my attention, via numerous calls on my voice mail. People are concerned.
The piece I penned which you rebutted (one of many I write in that vein in an attempt to save the innocent, human and animal – in that order – from dying on our roadways) was in response to one similar in tenor in the May 24 RMO (attributable to the RMO editorial) which spoke to the continuing loss of life and the speeding dilemma within Canada’s national park system.
That pet project of mine – the implementation of highway photo radar within the national parks system to control reckless people using our wonderful parks for their own personal racetrack, as you well know, is a solution to rein in those who feel that present laws governing speed limits (and a plethora of other statues) don’t apply to them.
I find it most unfortunate folks of your background, intellect and training don’t support this sensible effort to make Canada’s highways safer for everyone – even you and your loved ones. If you’ve done anything to help make the highways safer I’d like to hear from you – perhaps I’ll add your name to a growing number of folks who see the value of a life; BEFORE it’s shattered in a car accident.
As a person connected with the cross-country ski program in our wonderful valley you probably have an axe to grind with me over safety concerns I have expressed in the past when our great young athletes in training dangerously use public roads to train on. Sooner or later one of them will be hurt, and I will not be sitting lamenting that I should have spoken out about the practice – end of digression.
Further to the point, sir – when this meddling advocate speaks of controlling driver behaviour, please rest completely assured I do not speak with a police state mentality, or any other Orwellian fixtures dangling in my ballroom. I support the broad view of law and order – and all living things – period.
Perhaps my history in the collision repair industry (over 40 years) and my exposure to literally thousands of life shattering events due to collision between a vehicle of some sort and soft human flesh has hardened my stance on this matter and caused me to speak out on this matter. I do this not to entertain readers, nor do I exercise my right to publically state my point of view purely to tick people off. I do this with one goal in mind as stated.
I’m understanding of our divergent viewpoints on this, and wish this was not so – but you, as a well-connected, community minded person, cannot argue with the statistics which bear out the devastation speeding and other simple infractions of the Highway Traffic Act ocassionally leads to.
This certainly was the case many years ago when a beautiful young niece of mine was killed instantly in southern Alberta when a speeding driver totally obliterated her vehicle, ending her life at 16 years. This single event changed the life of dozens of people who loved Amanda. As tragic as her death will always be, the life of the then young driver of the offending vehicle and everyone who loved him and continues to love him has been pure hell, for dozens of people.
Now a man of 48 years (with two kids of his own), he has never been, nor will he likely ever be the same person, he was before the collision.
You may not be able to imagine life in a totalitarian state (beyond the present socialist state we live in) but I’m betting if you had ever been involved in the real blood and guts of these things as I have, both on a personal level and as witness to others facing the distress, I can guarantee you, you’d have a totally different attitude.
Alvin Shier,
Canmore
