Editorial

The motorist stopped at the red light — like any good driver would do — and proceeded to eat the bowl of cereal in her lap. It’s not a clip from “America’s Funniest Videos.” It’s a scene from downtown Lethbridge one recent weekday morning.
Balancing a bowl of cereal in one’s lap while making, what can only be assumed, one’s way to work is quite the feat. But not one worth applauding.
Stand on any corner in Lethbridge and count the number of motorists holding cellphones to their ears or sending text messages while driving. It’s not just the act of holding a phone to the ear, tapping away at a keyboard or eating a bowl of cereal that causes that distraction. Distracted driving occurs any time a driver's attention is taken away from where they should be focusing their concentration — the driving task, according to the Canadian Automobile Association.
Earlier this year, the province introduced a bill to get tough on distracted drivers — and not just those who talk on the phone. Bill 16, introduced in the legislature April 14, not only proposes banning handheld cellphones and texting while behind the wheel, it also gives police more leeway to bust people for things such as putting on lipstick, combing their hair or writing while driving. If caught, there’s a $172 fine, but there won’t be any demerits. Motorists will be allowed to use hands-free cellphone devices while driving.
The bill was to come into effect June 1 but provincial news outlets report the province is delaying its crackdown on drivers who talk, text and eat behind the wheel until the fall. Alberta Transportation officials said more time is needed to amend the traffic act and the fine structure.
The province also needs time to roll out a major public awareness campaign and post signs, informing drivers of what they can and cannot do while driving, it was said.
Signs? Public awareness campaign? Motorists were responsible enough to receive their driver’s licence but they need to be made “aware” of the fact it’s not wise to talk or text on a cellphone, or eat behind the wheel?
Dr. Louis Francescutti, who is also the president of Canada’s Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, said studies prove cracking down on distracted drivers can reduce the carnage on the roads by more than 30 per cent.
Alberta Transportation says there is tremendous public support for a distracted driving law in Alberta. Of the people who indicated support, 72 per cent were in favour of the bill.
Alberta is the last province in Canada to enact distracted driver legislation. It’s about time the province caught up with the rest of the country. Let’s roll this bill out before there is any more carnage on our highways.

A new poll finds most Canadian parents support greenlighting a booster seat law — but few are putting their words into action.
   A recent survey from Safe Kids Canada and Leger Marketing indicates most parents of kids under age 10 feel a booster seat is needed until a child can use a seat belt on their own.
The online poll of more than 1,000 adults found that 79 per cent of households support the idea of a booster seat law.
Yet according to Transport Canada, only 30 per cent of Canadian children who should be using booster seats are actually doing so.
The survey findings were released as part of the national Safe Kids Week campaign, which aims to raise awareness about a specific type of injury and educate the public on prevention strategies.
The theme for this year’s week, dubbed “Give your kid a boost!” is child passenger safety. It will run from May 30 to June 5.
In Alberta, when it comes to child booster auto seats, the province is sitting in a dangerous position.
Young cyclists can’t ride a bike in our province without a helmet on their head. However, Alberta has yet to take the same route on child booster auto seat use for children under four feet nine inches, or 146 centimetres, in height. Their use is strongly recommended but it’s not law.
Booster seats elevate the child so the vehicle’s seatbelts, which are designed for adults, fit snugly at the shoulder and the pelvis — the strongest bones in a child’s body — instead of around the neck and abdomen. In a crash, belts which tighten on the neck and abdomen can cause severe injury.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for Canadian kids under 14.
Transport Canada says 3,500 children are injured each year, and on average another 61 children are killed.
Safe Kids Canada says a booster seat reduces the risk of injury by 60 per cent. Children need to ride in them from the time they outgrow their forward-facing car seats until they are big enough to use a seatbelt on their own.
The province needs to make booster seat legislation a priority. Children learn by example and showing them the importance of safety at an early age may help them remember that lesson throughout their lifetime.
There’s no argument booster seats save lives.
What kind of lesson are Albertans and the provincial government teaching children when booster seats — the easiest of all child safety seats to use — are the ones that are used the least?
 

Big boys call them toys but a Calgary trauma surgeon dubs them dangerous.
  As the May long weekend nears, Dr. Richard Buckley warns that drinking and off-roading on all-terrain vehicles is creating a tragic trail of injuries and death across the province.
The surgeon says while society appears to be grasping the message about the dangers of driving automobiles while drunk, the same cannot be said about riders of all-terrain vehicles. He quoted a study that said Alberta has a 17 per cent death rate from accidents involving all-terrain vehicles — eight times higher than for automobiles. Figures show that between 1998 and 2008, 79 people died in ATV crashes in Alberta, while off-road accidents that cause injuries cost the province $6 million a year.
Not all of those crashes involved alcohol. There were a number of deaths that involved children killed while riding all-terrain vehicles.
One is Kirkland Gour, who died at the age of 12 after the adult-sized ATV he was riding, flipped near the family’s home northwest of Edmonton in Nampa, Alta. in 2007.
A fatality report was released in February following an inquiry a few months earlier. The report is nine pages in length and makes only three recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future: children be restricted from riding adult-sized ATVs, passengers be prohibited from riding the machines except when they’re designed for that use, and that ATV training courses be expanded in the province.
The province says it has looked into the possibility of age restrictions and mandatory helmet laws for these machines. However, to date no legislation has been brought forward.
The lack of drive on the province’s part to make ATV operation safer doesn’t mean safety has to take a back seat on the part of operators. Operators can be proactive and ensure there is no drinking and driving, and children are not operating machines clearly built for adults. Alberta Health Services recommends that children under the age of 16 should not operate an ATV because they lack the strength to control the vehicle and the skill and experience to quickly judge a potentially dangerous situation.
The May long weekend is considered the unofficial start of summer. This year, ring it in with a bang, not a crash. One way to do that is avoid alcohol before taking an ATV for a spin. Another is make sure every ATV operator and passenger wears a proper helmet. Plus, allow children to play but not on toys clearly designed for big boys.

Motorcycles on our roadways rank up there with robins and tulips as sure signs spring and summer are on their way.
   With the warm-weather months upon us once again, it’s worth rolling out a reminder that motorists share the road with motorcyclists.
Most collisions involving motorcycles happen because the motorcyclist wasn’t seen. Weather isn’t to blame in the majority of cases. According to the provincial report, “Alberta Traffic Collisions involving Motorcycles 2004-2008,” 91.6 per cent of casualty collisions involving a motorcycle occurred during clear weather conditions. The report also found that over that five-year period when there were 6,083 collisions that Saturday was the most collision-prone day of the week for motorcycles (16.7 per cent) and the majority of collisions involving motorcycles occured in urban areas (79.6 per cent).
Overall, 152 people were killed and 4,001 were injured in collisions involving a motorcycle over those five years.
And the number of fatalties appears to be growing. A June 2009 news release from Canada’s Traffic Injury Research Foundation noted data from Transport Canada suggested that while the number of motor-vehicle crashes was decreasing, “the motorcyclist fatality rate in Canada has increased every year, from 172 in 2002 to 229 in 2005. This increase was paralleled by a comparable increase in the number of motorcyclist registrations.”
Motorcycle season serves as reminder to everyone behind the wheel and the handlebars to be aware of their surroundings and take a few important precautions.
Motorists should look twice when changing lanes and at intersections because there might be a motorcycle hidden behind vehicles, and maintain at least four seconds’ distance — more at night or in rain — when following a motorcycle.
Motorcyclists should ride in a position where they can be seen by other motorists and stay out of their blind spots, and never dart from lane to lane or never ride between driving lanes to pass vehicles.
Let’s make this a year when motorcycle fatalities decrease instead of rise. When heading out on the highway looking for adventure this season, be sure to do your part by safely sharing the pavement.