Am I mistaken or is it still against the law in Nova Scotia to use a hand-held device for calling or texting while operating a motor vehicle?
I thought so. But if it’s illegal, then how come I’ve recently had a near miss incident on Highway 103 that would surely have had ended seriously for any number of people, including me.
I’ll tell you how come; because people continue to disregard the law even though it has been in force now for more than a decade. They ignore the law despite the possibility of a hefty fine if they’re caught and despite the fact that the distraction could cause a serious motor vehicle accident that could lead to bodily injury, and possibly death.
The bigger question is why would they do that? Why would they risk harming themselves or other innocent motorists? Why would they jeopardize their own life and the lives of others? What is so important that they just had to make a phone call while going through one of the busiest and potentially dangerous intersections on the 103?
People using their cellphones while driving is one my biggest pet peeves and you would think that by now, they would know better, but clearly, the message just isn’t getting through as two weeks ago I came way too close to being in an accident at the Hebbville intersection near Bridgewater. It is one of the most highly travelled exits on the 103, a place that demands extra care and caution. Sadly though, that despite the heavy traffic flow, this is not the first time that I’ve had a close call at that location. It’s not even the second time. It’s not even the third time.
In fact, in all my years of travelling the highway, I think, if my memory serves me correctly, this is actually the fourth time that somehow, I’ve managed to avoid a serious accident at that spot and all of them happened because the other driver was on his or her cellphone. Seriously! Enough really is enough.
For those of you who don’t know the intersection I’m talking about, it’s the one near the Ultramar service station and the Blarney Stone Restaurant. It can be a busy spot at the best of times, but during the morning commute, it’s important to pay close attention as you never know what surprises await you, as I’ve experienced one too many times.
The most recent incident happened on the morning of June 19 as I was travelling from Liverpool toward Halifax. I had just come out of a construction zone about five minutes earlier so there was a steady flow of traffic that morning. Everyone was moving along at a pretty good clip as the 90 km speed zone was about to transition into 100 kms. Most drivers are aware of that change, so in their rush to get to wherever they’re going, they tend to pick up speed as if they are in some sort of breakaway scenario.
It’s like they’re heading for the finish line and automatically turn on the gas. Unfortunately, this only increases the danger in an already dangerous area. Add to the mix, an inattentive driver on his cellphone about to enter the intersection from Hebbville and to making a left-hand turn onto the highway. All the elements for near calamity were present that day but by shear luck, somehow we avoided an accident.
I had just passed the Blarney Stone Restaurant and I saw the car approach the stop sign from Hebbville. I don’t have an eye for cars, so the exact make and model remains a mystery, but that’s not really the point. The point is, the driver was not paying attention and instead of coming to a complete stop as I thought he would, he came to a rolling stop and then pulled onto the highway almost directly in front of me.
You know how they say your life flashes in front of your eyes in that split second before tragedy? Well, it was kind of like that for me. By the time I realized he was not stopping, it was too late for me to stop. I thought: “this is it” and held my breath. We were close enough that I’m sure I could have reached out and touched the other vehicle if my window had been down.
Now, I can’t say if that driver had looked both ways before entering the highway because he might have, but the problem was that he was holding a cellphone up to his left ear and as a result, his field of vision was clearly blocked by his arm, meaning he didn’t see me or the cars behind me. I could see the phone as we passed. Guess he hadn’t heard of hands-free phones.
It was only by the Grace of God that we managed to avoid a collision. Once he was into the intersection and realized how close we were, he hit the gas and managed to speed out of the way, thus avoiding a collision which would have involved him, me and most likely two or three other vehicles that were behind me. It was a terrible moment, one I’ve experienced too often at that intersection.
By the time my heart had slowed down, the guy was long gone and I was well on my way to my destination. It was too late for me to do anything about this guy, except to do what I’m doing right now — write about it in hopes that he may see this and get the message that he was pretty close to causing an collision that morning and perhaps taking a life or two.
I wish I would have had the chance to take down his license plate number or had a better description of his vehicle, but at that moment, the only thing I could think about was avoiding disaster. It was a close call and I hope that guy, whoever he was, got the message that it’s time to get off the phone while he’s driving. The next time, he may not be as lucky.
As for me, well, as I’ve said, this was not the first time I’ve had a close call at that intersection and it is one of the reasons I exercise extreme caution when I’m passing through that area. This incident only served to heighten my level of anxiety but I will remain vigilant. I can only hope that other drivers are being alert and cautious whenever they are on the roads, but clearly, as this guy confirmed, not everyone takes the same level of care.
I know it’s common to blame the road conditions or the highway design whenever a serious accident occurs but, you can’t blame bad driving habits on anything else but what it really is — being careless. And that’s the view from here.
Vernon Oickle was born and raised in Liverpool where he continues to reside with his family. He has worked for more than 30 years in community newspapers on the South Shore and is the author of 28 books.
