One would hope something good will follow the sentencing of the truck driver responsible for the Humboldt bus crash to eight years in prison.
But will anything really change? Sadly, no.
Despite everyone’s best efforts to make this case a strong example of why more caution should be exercised on the roads by truck drivers, motorcyclists and operators of any other type of vehicle, reckless habits seem to be ingrained in peoples’ brains.
It’s almost like there’s a ‘can’t happen to me’ philosophy. Some of those very distraught parents of Humboldt Broncos players who died in the crash would like people to believe otherwise.
The truck driver might have thought this would never happen to him, either. But it did.
There is talk about making seat belts on buses mandatory and changing some regulations for the operators of trucks in this country. That would be a step in the right direction.
But it all still comes down to two factors: speed and not paying attention behind the wheel.
It goes without saying speed is a serious problem on our highways. No one ever seems to get the message about slowing down no matter what the circumstances.
Distracted driving of all sorts and the lack of awareness of drivers of what’s going on around them are contributing factors to so many accidents.
Let’s face it, the Trans Canada Highway between Nanaimo and Victoria is a mess. People get frustrated by the numerous traffic lights and putting the pedal to the medal in between and weaving in and out of traffic above the posted speeds doesn’t get anyone anywhere.
The nicer weather seems to accelerate the need for speed and here we are. We’ve already had a serious motorcycle accident near Fuller Lake Road, the death of a motorcyclist near Nanaimo, a dump truck crash at Oyster Bay and two major crashes on the road to Port Alberni. And that’s just in the last two weeks.
It’s going to be a very bad spring and summer on the roads. But just remember, nothing is worth taking a chance. You only have one life to live.