We get that asking some people to be patient in traffic is like asking for pigs to fly, but for those of us who are able to exercise at least a little self-control the challenge has been laid before us.
Temporary road closures have started on Fraser Highway as work crews prepare to turn a stretch of it into four lanes to accommodate the SkyTrain extension.
But before we all get hot under the collar about more road delays getting in the way of our gotta-go lives, let’s apply some perspective here. We are reminded about the dangers that traffic controllers face.
READ ALSO: Council approves $5.3 million contract for early work on Surrey SkyTrain expansion
READ ALSO: SkyTrain line through Surrey’s Green Timbers forest involves four-lane Fraser Highway
They, like the rest of us, are flesh-and-blood people who, unlike the rest of us sitting behind the wheel of an automobile, are particularly vulnerable to injury and even death brought on by impatient and lead-footed motorists.
Did you know that statistics have revealed that a person – a flagger, let’s say – has an 84-per cent-chance of surviving being hit by a car doing 30 km/h, but the survival rate drops to 27 per cent at 50 km/h and less than one per cent when hit by an automobile travelling at 60 km/h or more?
What that means is a rash burst of speed, brought on by the frustration generated by traffic delays, could in a split second end not only another person’s life, but also your life as you know it.
So take a breath, and ride it out. The potential consequences of freaking out in traffic and doing something rash, in an effort to spare yourself some delay, are definitely not worth the risk.
– Now-Leader
edit@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter