This one goes out to all the scofflaws out there: the signs apply to everybody.

I’m not even addressing the people who, rather than go through the inconvenience of finding a parking spot, just park outside the store entrance for an hour or so, waiting for their significant other to do their shopping.

Nor am I addressing pedestrians who just cross the road wherever, whenever and however they please, even though a crosswalk is mere steps away (or is asking you to wait for a signal).

I’m talking about drivers who just treat traffic signals or road signs as scenery and they know cops can’t be everywhere. I’ve personally witnessed these transgressions, and I’m sure people can write in with far worse transgressions.

I’m coming up to a red light with two cars ahead of me. It’s a temporary red on a developing intersection of a major arterial road. It used to be a stop sign. Along our way of travel, the road has been divided into a left turn lane and a curb lane that goes through or turns right. The guy at the front of the line is waiting for the green light so he can go straight. The guy behind him, and ahead of me, wants to turn right. Instead of waiting his turn, he merges into the left turn lane then cuts in front of the guy at the front of the line and gives him the finger. He then proceeds to wait there until the traffic on the major arterial road wanes so he can make his right turn. By this time, the light has turned green for us, and everybody proceeds according to his intention.

Another example – it’s rush-hour traffic and traffic is backed up at the lighted intersection of a major six lane road (seven, if you count the left turn lanes in each direction). A minivan pulls into the left turn lane and seeing the amount of traffic piled up in the opposite direction, apparently decides to make his turn now, rather than wait for the advanced green (in the process, avoiding the pedestrians crossing against the light and ignoring the horns of the approaching traffic along the smaller neighbourhood street on which he just turned).

There are places in the world (Sao Paulo, Brazil, for example) where incidents such as these are not just common place and tolerated, they seem to be encouraged – downtown cores are in constant gridlock because drivers feel the right of way is a subjective matter and the drivers in the wrong are the ones who obey the signals. If you come up to red light and stop, the guy behind you will take whatever route is available to him in order to get around you – sometimes that’s the sidewalk, so pedestrians beware.

I don’t know if the drivers in these examples were new Canadians accustomed to the motoring life in such places; it doesn’t matter.

Maybe it’s just a sign of the times, where disrespect for any authority seems to be the way to try and induce change.

Maybe everybody is just too busy. Or maybe, they just have to be first to do anything, including advancing from a red light.

Whatever the reason, anarchy is not the answer. And it sure doesn’t go hand in hand with safety.

Tags: driver training, gridlock