OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter, from Rachel Baranik, is about the scourge of speeding and aggressive driving locally.
I am looking to highlight the growing concern of drivers who are speeding and showing aggressive behaviour.
Looking at the highway alone going 120km is now slow and you're being passed by cars like you're moving at a snail's pace. Also, drivers seem to think it is now acceptable to tailgate the drivers that are going the posted speed limit and flip them off or use other aggressive behaviour like they did something wrong.
In town is no better with drivers speeding in residential neighbourhoods, running red lights frequently, rolling through stop signs and lights to get in front of a car. People are not looking out for pedestrians; they are too busy rushing to get in front like everything is a race it seems.
I can't even drive across town without seeing multiple drivers breaking simple laws, like completely stopping at a stop sign OR going at a safe speed.
City of Orillia and the OPP have to come up with some solution to rein in drivers. We are seeing more accidents and more reports of aggressive and speeding driving behaviour.
It feels like calling and reporting isn't stopping the behaviour from these drivers and it feels pointless. To the point many people stop reporting. Or take it into their own hands which just creates further aggressive driving on the road.
For people driving, we all have the same goal: we want to get to our destination safely and quickly. But riding someone's bumper, flipping them the bird or other aggressive behaviour is not an answer. Remember they are someone's loved one, we all make mistakes driving, but be better and do better.
Rachel Baranik
Orillia
