Fredericton — It appears that Voltaire nailed it back in the 18th century when he famously said, “Common sense is not so common.”
Members of the Legislature in Fredericton are being called upon to act after the recent tragedy near Sussex where star cyclist Ellen Watters was killed by a collision with a passing car.
This loss of life follows news from Moncton that there have been 148 collisions between motor vehicles and cyclists since 2012, 34 so far in 2016. MLAs are being asked to pass “Ellen’s Law,” mandating that drivers be at least 1 metre away from cyclists while passing them on the road.
“Motorists should be at least a metre away from a bicycle while passing it,” said public safety analyst Francis Cormier. “I mean really, a metre is the absolute bare minimum distance, right? But, this also counts for anybody sharing the road with a car — like pedestrians or runners or anyone else on the side of the road. Drivers, stay the heck away from them! Why don’t people know this?
“Here’s some more uncommon common sense that I guess we need to legislate,” continued the exasperated analyst. “If you see someone is ahead of you on the side of the road — slow down… just in case. If you can’t get a metre away because of oncoming traffic, then stop your car until you can. And, if you don’t know where you’re going, pull over until you do! Jeez, people… I mean, come on!”
If adopted, this law would become similar to other attempts to legislate against negligent and narcissistic driving behaviours like drunk driving, speeding and distracted driving.
Cormier concluded, “So, yeah, we need to do it; we should pass ‘Ellen’s Law’ too because it will save lives. But, the law I’d really like to see is one to stop people from driving carelessly like entitled douchebags! Watch out for other people for God’s sake!
“If you can’t operate your vehicle without putting someone’s life in danger, you should hand in your licence and buy a bicycle… then maybe you’ll get it.”