Now and again you hear about something so stupid that you shake your head and wonder what the heck was that driver thinking? Yesterday's case in point was an older female who stopped in the fast lane on the opposite side of a divided highway to take a picture of a fatal collision. All the traffic behind had to screech to a halt to avoid colliding with her.
I'm sorry, but this is really a selfish, totally thoughtless act committed by someone who is old enough to know better.
It is not an inadvertent mistake that any one of us might make. This is the type of driver who comes to mind when I hear arguments for raising speed limits, backing off on the Immediate Roadside Prohibition and the impoundment of vehicles for driving at excessive speeds.
They deserve to get "spanked" and in some cases spanked hard.
They are thinking only of themselves, or not thinking at all. There is no concern shown for anyone else on the highway and you and I are paying for it with our taxes and insurance premiums.
We also pay for it with injury and death.
What to do?
Ticket them, prohibit them, require taking driver training or re-examine them before they are able to renew their driver's licence?
Instances of thoughtless behaviour are becoming far too commonplace on our highways and we need to foster an attitude of co-operation and respect. Those that don't or won't should be invited to become a passenger instead of a driver.
For more information on this topic, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca. Questions or comments are welcome by e-mail to comments@drivesmartbc.ca. Tim Schewe is a retired RCMP constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. His column appears Thursdays.