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High speed main factor in traffic deaths

Alberta highways a good example of dangerous roadways

Re: Slow drivers present greatest hazard (Letters, June 1)

I was not surprised by the ranting letter about people who drive in the left lane on the Pat Bay Highway. Formerly a law enforcement traffic officer, I am one of them, but drive on the left because it is the safer of the two lanes. I do not drive under the speed limit unless there is a reason to do so.

The left lane is not exposed to merging traffic, or traffic entering from service roads along that route. Nor is it exposed to drivers who jerk into a right exit from the left lane because their driving habits do not allow them to safely get into the right lane in time. There are times when I must drive in the left lane in preparation for a left exit.

I am a bit amazed about the statement that Alberta drivers “finally got it.” Has this man driven Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary? It is frightening and dangerous, due entirely to high speed.

The Pat Bay Highway is less than 25 kilometres long, with four traffic lights. One needs a calculator to determine how much time one ‘may’ save – under ideal conditions, over that entire length – even driving twice the legal speed limit.

The need for speed is a habit and a dangerous one. A bit of thought about the actual time factor in almost every situation will clearly show this to be a fact.

Charles Scheideman

Saanichton