IT was a dark and
stormy night.

Alf was quiet as the brain-
dead pedestrian stunk nezkily
into the crosswatk, ever sure
hit bis dark and tattered
cloak-of-invisibility also made
him invulnerable to the
weighty meanness of approach-
ing traffic.

As he edged his way further
into the crosswalk in the slow
and plodding way of his kind,
the brain-dead ped took a
moment to vaguely recognise
the dim glimmer af @ thought
emanatin, 4, from his cerebrum.

ms dressed ail in
black, P need his pulpy grey
matter, “Surely the drivers of
those approaching cars are
having a tough time secing
me, what with the stormy
darkness of night hanging pal-
bably in the air and all.
Would it not be a grand idea

signals

to hurry up and get the bell
ont of heeecre...”

The darkness of the stormy
night continued in its effort-
less way and the cold dreari-
ness of wet asphalt seemed to
spite the poor brain-dead biped
as he lay there in the middle of
the crosswalk in a pool of his
own assumptions, his cloak-of-
invisibility juse a litsle more
tattered for its efforts.

The night wore on... *

Yo, pedestrians! While this
El Nino phenomenon is

north shore news

AUTO

| Men in hiack a hit with motorists

causing a mild-if-wet winter,
it does not stop the night.

It’s bad cnough that some
of you walk brazenly into the
breach that is a crosswalk
under the bright mantle of
daylight.

Knowing full well that
cars are supposed to vield to
you, you carry on with this
brash brain-dead behavior
when it is dark and all the
odds are against you.

Homo sapiens are
renowned for their adaptabil-
ity.

We as a species have poor
nocturnal vision. We mount
headlights on our cars to aid
us when travelling at night.

However, the night-piere-
ing headlamp is a nvo-edged
sword. While it illuminates
the path directly in front of
us, it is none too proficient at
lighting peripherals.

Worse, headlights have the

‘ICBC says photo radar
slows down speeders

TWO-THIRDS of B.C. drivers say
using phoco. radar to catch speeders is
a good way to prevent speed-related
crashes and injuries, according to
ICBC survey results.

Quarterly survey numbers indicate sup-
port for photo radar has been consistently
above 60% since the program was introduced
in B.C.-in August of 1996, says an ICBC
press release.

Last: month, approximately 70% of ICBC
customers who were questioned agreed that
using photo radar can help reduce speed-
reffted crashes. The numbers also show most
motorists. — 77% — feel speed continues to
be a big problem in this province.

Road safety programs such as phote radar

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are being credited with helpiag to make a dif:
ference on B.C. roads in 1997.

Preliminary results from speed data at
sites around the province show the number
of motorists driving more than 15 km/h over
the posted speed limit has failen 40% since
the introduction of photo radar 17 months
ago.

ICBC supports photo radar and other
road safety enforcement and education initia-
tives because they help save lives, reduce
crashes and keep auto insurance rates afford-
able.

The corporation does not receive any of
the revenue from photo radar fines.

Survey results are based on monthly ques-
tions that were supplied to 300 13C cus-
tomers.

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nasty trait of temporarily
blinding, people, including
other drivers, whose corneas
have otherwise adapted to
the gloominess of night.

Night walkers, you may
well be stepping in front of a
momentarily sightless driver,
or one who cannot see you in
the first place.

Remember, too, you
brain-dead bipeds, that you
are rarely a driver’s first pri-
ority, though perhaps you
should be.

Drivers are/should be
preoccupied with several
things like watching traffic
lights, making safe lane
changes, checking the move-
ment of traftic, making safe
turns, finding the cigarette
that dropped into their lap...

Even if pedestrians are on
the brain, they are often low
on the list of sale driving pri-
orities.

Those of you who drive
will attest to the difficulties
of being surrounded by
bonehead drivers. Or perhaps
you are one, in which case
drivers and pedestrians alike
hit the streets at their own
peril.

At any raiz, walking across
the street is not a part of
God's given right, it is a deed
iv be pondered heavily
before pursuing.

Mind, too, that roads and
streets are designed primarily

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Be 2.0L SOHC Engine
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m ° AM/FM cassette

for cars, sidewalks for people,
At any given moment cars
heavily outweigh the number
of people on the road -—
except perhaps, during the
Baston Marathon — and vice
versa on sidewalks.

A pedestrian in the road-
way is a relative rarity.

It’s fine and dandy to
consider oneself very impor-
tant, but don’t expect others
to share the sentiment.

Sad but true, dark and
stormy nights are often
accompanied with a “pedes-
trian down” alert on the
radio traffic reports.

If you insist on wearing
black, if you decide that you
are taking right ~of-way sim-
ply because you're in a cross-
walk and/or if you are too
cold and wer to lift your head
and Jook around a bit, you
are not helping vour odds.

Pay attention. Wear bright
clothing. Buy some of those
gooty-looking, glow-in-the-
dark sneakers. Wear them.

Anything you can do to
make yourself more visible is
a wise and prudent gesture to
the motorist trving valiant-

iy/vainly to not run you
down.

More than that, and as if I
haven’t beaten this bit of
advice to death in the past,
remember the right-of-way
needs to be given to vou
before you can take it.

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Never assunte — youl
just make an ass out of te
and the poor sod who mows
you over,

And a quick note to dri-
vers (as if vou'll listen}, please
be extra attentive at night
and try giving way to pedes-
trians more often.

They are cold and wer,
after all, while you are most
likely in a nice warm car. Go
ahead and laugh at their mis-
ery if you must, bur give way
if they need it.

You niay even get a thank-
ful little wave of the hand.

That should make you feel
good about your vielding
effort.

(Also, it is wise — slowly
becoming mandatory —- to
turn your headlights on, at
all times of day and night,
but especially when it is
gloomy. A pedestrian will
probably think twice about
stepping out in front of a
throbbing bladder of light
zooming toward them,
unless, of course, they're just
plain braindead.)

fc was a dark and stormy
night but the promise of
brighter days 10 come whis-
pered cheery hints to the pedes-
trians and motorists of Bone:
head City like the rain had
promised big green srees just a
season earlier.

Pay attention folks.

Be safe.

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