On the road, it's only natural that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists should take responsibility for each other. Some days, however, I wonder how far our collective carelessness will take us. By breaking traffic regulations and acting as if the street belonged to us, we're all blaming others.
Of course, cyclists who fail to comply with the Highway Safety Code are just as much at fault as motorists, with the difference that carefree cyclists - unlike carefree motorists - do not endanger the lives of others, or only very rarely, as the statistics show. Hence the importance of remembering the relevance of the principle of prudence, which dictates that the heaviest and fastest must, for obvious reasons, show greater caution towards the most vulnerable road users.
Article 327 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code prohibits any speed or action likely to endanger the life or safety of persons or property. This begs the question as to why the police rarely apply this rule to serious accidents involving cyclists and motorists - especially when the latter have endangered the lives or safety of cyclists. Recently, journalist Isabelle Richer was mowed down by a motorist who was clearly behaving dangerously - he overtook a farm vehicle in a row without taking into account the arrival of two oncoming cyclists. Yet, to my knowledge, no penalty was imposed on the motorist. It's enough to drive you crazy when you remember that last year the Quebec Superior Court fined a Longueuil cyclist 1,000 $ for driving «endangering the safety or life of persons»... even though he had run a red light, without hitting anyone!
We believe that we must take advantage of the reform of the Highway Safety Code to collectively recognize the principle of prudence on the road. There's a fine line between an honest mistake and a dangerous maneuver. A motorist who overtakes a cyclist without giving him or her the necessary space is making a dangerous maneuver, and more often than not, the cyclist pays the price. It's time for this to change, and for everyone to take responsibility when driving a vehicle. The days of «I didn't see it» are over.
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
