It only takes one long weekend to show the lack of courtesy out on the road these days. I know seeing sunshine is exciting, I get it. It is also the first long weekend of the year and I get that as well. I understand the weather is making people want to be outside more. What I don’t understand is why those items make people so involved with themselves that they forget there are other motorists on the road. As professional drivers; this extends well beyond the weekend into everyday life. I wonder how this will improve in the future.

It was the silly things that really got me as I traveled around Southern Ontario this weekend mostly trying to avoid traffic as much as possible as I went about my duties. I made it successfully for the most part with the exception of the traffic ( parade) on the QEW towards Niagara Falls. The traffic was bad enough on its own and I certainly expected it to be a little slow. What I really noticed was the amount of cars that had to pull over to the side of the road for one thing or another creating a lot of onlooker opportunities. People not understanding lane management has always been my pet peeve in life and it was very evident this weekend. The OPP also reported drinking and driving statistics were up this last weekend as well. Now you may be thinking that it is just me going on about the traffic and I may have agreed with you until this happened.

My wife and I were in Port Credit on the weekend. The area is a quaint little area with shops and restaurants. With the sun shining and warm weather people were out in full force. Although it wasn’t bad on Monday this area can be very hard to find parking around the main drag, but what happened next surprised even me. I had turned onto a side street and found a spot to park between two cars. I pulled up lining up my back window, turned on my signal and began to back into the spot. I had just began the manoeuvre when this lady drove her car right into the spot. I couldn’t believe that she had done that. As I was now the one blocking the road I pulled up to another spot farther up the road. A couple walking along the street just looked in shock. As we walked back towards her car after parking all she could say is that she was so sorry and she didn’t see me because she wasn’t wearing her glasses. If she wasn’t wearing her glasses what was she doing driving? Did she offer to move, no! Did she really not see me, no!

It is the nature of our society. People have stopped caring about one another. Oh sure we care about the big things like cancer and other diseases. If we see a video on the internet about a kitten it goes viral, but are we missing the boat on the day to day courtesies that were once standard in today’s society. I personally hope that courtesy is not a thing of the past. When that happens human life has less meaning and we stop caring about each other. Do your part and remember to show courtesy on the road, it might just make a difference.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com