The Incident At 152nd Street in Surrey
A week or so ago I was traveling on 152nd Street in Surrey, when I encountered a traffic light turning to amber then to red. I promptly stopped of course, but not the car in the right lane, which continued on at speed through the intersection and causing a collision.
The accident looked somewhat nasty and I called 911, but soon both drivers were exchanging information and in very quick time the emergency services arrived and the RCMP. I gave a statement and the offending driver fully admitted that he went through a red light, causing the accident.
What struck me was the “matter of fact” attitude by all concerned and it seemed I was the most disturbed of the lot, by witnessing the accident. Later, no mention of the ‘fender bender’ (yes the fender was bent and lying some 20 metres from the car) on the radio or later in local newspapers. It seems car accidents that cause no injury don’t get media attention.
But, what if it were a car jumping a red light and crashing into a tram or streetcar, well that is very completely different. For many, it is the tram’s fault for being there and the accident is blown all out of proportion, with some news reaching the national and international news!
Why then are car/tram accidents so newsworthy? The only answers that I can come up with are is that the anti-tram or streetcar crowd love to foster this myth that streetcars are dangerous and secondly tram or streetcar crashes are somewhat rare.
There is much hoopla from the SkyTrain/metro lobby about tram or streetcar crashes at intersections, yet what makes a light controlled intersection any different for a tram or car? It is the driver’s responsibility to stop at red lights and it is my firm belief that if a driver runs a red light and causes an accident, he or she should be banned from driving for one year. A tram or streetcar driverAi??passing a red light, will face disciplinary action, suspension or maybe even fired from his or her job. It is about time that the car and truck drivers learn to obey the most basic of road laws, that a red light means stop and if they don’t dire consequences will happen.
