Surrey’s 60th Avenue is a long straight east-west collector road crossing a number of north-south arterial streets including 144th Street. At this intersection on Sunday afternoon July 27, a textbook tragedy unfolded. According to newspaper reports, a Ford Bronco southbound on 144th Street was ‘T-boned’ by an eastbound Lexus that failed to stop at a stop sign. The Bronco spun and flipped onto the driver’s side. The Bronco driver, a 56-year-old Surrey man, wasn’t wearing his seat belt, was partially ejected by the impact, and was pinned underneath the vehicle. His wife, who was wearing her seatbelt, remained suspended in the cab until she was rescued. The Bronco driver died. His wife was injured but released from hospital later the same day.
The Lexus driver, “a 73-year-old Burnaby resident,” and his passenger, “a 67-year-old Calgary Alberta resident” also suffered injuries, but they were relatively minor. The published RCMP report quotes witnesses saying that the Lexus did not stop for the governing stop sign, and refers to “physical evidence…[revealing] that the driver braked just at impact, corroborating the independent witness accounts.” This report also noted that this intersection “has view obstructions which require east and west bound traffic on 60th Avenue to stop and clear the intersection before entering it, which the driver of the Lexus did not do.” The report also indicates that alcohol and excessive speed are not considered factors.
Many elements make this a textbook tragedy: mistakes made by the drivers creating unfolding cause and effect sequences that intertwine; well-intentioned people making ‘bad’ decisions resulting in a catastrophe evoking feelings of pity and fear.
Extra care and attention in approaching any intersection involves looking for signage and watching out for approaching vehicles from all directions. As Paul Ripley observes in the book “Expert Driving”, “(although) our roads are littered with a huge excess of signs…the expert driver nonetheless takes pride in noting every grain of information that signs and markings foretell.”
Extra care and attention in approaching any intersection also involves watching out for approaching vehicles from all directions. As Leonard Evans cautions in his book “Traffic Safety”, “In city streets do not place your faith in other drivers obeying stop signs, or adhering to right-of-way rules.” Gerry Stewart in “Driving Tips from Grampa” says, “Be prepared to stop at uncontrolled intersections. Always have your foot poised over the brake pedal at such places…. For your safety, be prepared to yield 100 percent…of the time.”
Drivers and passengers who still don’t buckle up are asking for trouble. To quote Paul Ripley again, “Although seat belts have been fitted in cars for several decades, it is still a common (and, mostly, illegal) sight to see them not being used.” And as Curt Rich puts it in “Drive to Survive”, “Not having the seat belt fastened makes a minor incident into a major accident.”
One different decision in this chain of events and a few seconds difference in the timelines for the vehicles on each roadway would have changed the outcome. But this did not happen. And a man died.
Cedric Hughes of Hughes and Company Law Corporation, with contributions from Leslie McGuffin, LL.B., writes a weekly column on traffic advice for The VOICE. "The Road Rules" strives to provide helpful information about driving in British Columbia. We welcome your comments on our published articles and your suggestions for topics you would like us to address. Please email: eginter@hughesco.com. Phone: (604) 602-1818. Punjabi and Hindi: (604) 897-0207.
Email: cedric_hughes@hughesco.com
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