Ya Hoo's on the Road

(Here's another column from the summer of 1992. My sense is that careless driving isn't as big a problem now as it was back then, especially among young people. But then again, the New Brunswick RCMP recently released statistics on the number of traffic deaths in the province and how most fatalities are the result of people not wearing seat belts or the improper use of t seat belts. This problem is more serious among young people despite all the warnings about seatbelt use. So either way this column is just as relevant today as it was 15 years ago.)


The wife of TV's Mr. Dressup didn't know it was coming. The car drove right up on the sidewalk where she was walking in downtown Toronto, pinned her against a store front and killed her. The same thing happened to a pro football player in the United States recently. He was working at home in the garden when a truck ran him down and killed him in his front yard. And then there was that terrible school bus accident that killed a young girl in Chatham while her mother watched from the house. Freak accidents? Yes, but they're happening more and more and one begins to wonder how safe we are anywhere, especially as pedestrians.

There are few sidewalks in Grand Bay or Westfield. That means if we're going to walk or jog or ride our bikes we have to do most of it on the road. Every time our kids go out the door they're sharing road space with the cars and trucks. It's a workable situation if everyone, drivers and walkers, follow the rules, but that doesn't happen all the time.

I'm a runner and I often jog through the streets of Grand Bay. One of the greatest threats to pedestrian safety I see are these creatures I choose to call the "Ya Hoo's". They're usually in their teens or twenties and are normally nice enough creatures, until they get behind the wheel of a car. Then something happens to them, usually on a Friday or Saturday evening. For some reason they feel compelled to drive fast and carelessly around the streets of our neighbourhood. The "Ya Hoo's" squeal tires and kick up clouds of dust as they wheel at breakneck speeds through our quiet residential streets. On a recent Saturday night jog I witnessed one speeding car load of "Ya Hoos" barely negotiate the curve at the bottom of Woolastook Drive. On another occasion a car load of drunken "Ya Hoo's", in a hurry to get to the party, passed me on a curve just as we got off the Westfield ferry at Hardings Point.

I understand the urge of the "Ya Hoo" to want to drive fast. I think it has something to do with hormones at that age. But whatever the cause, driving fast and recklessly on the same streets where people are walking and jogging and kids are playing is bad business. Someone is going to get hurt or killed if the "Ya Hoos" continue to play their deadly game.

If you're a motorist (Ya Hoo's included) there are a few simple things you can do to help keep our residential streets safe. Slow down. Drive the speed limit or below. Those could be your kids playing on the street. And when you pass by a pedestrian give them as wide a berth as possible. I think some drivers make a game of trying to drive as close to pedestrians as possible without knocking them down.

Pedestrians have responsibilities too. Chief Arnold Landers of the Grand Bay Police says there are important rules to be followed, like walking in single file on the left hand shoulder of the road, facing the oncoming traffic. Groups of walkers, (especially kids) should remember to keep to the side of the road. Drivers find it annoying negotiating their way through a group of kids walking five abreast who refuse to get out of the way. If you're out walking after dark wear something light and preferably reflective so the cars can see you. And if you're a cyclist, make sure you follow the rules of the road and wear a helmet.

It is possible to keep our streets safe. But we all have to do our part.