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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-11-08, Page 5The International Scene Only the brave drive in France BY RAYMOND CANON I have written on occasion about the fundamental right in Germany to drive along the Autobahn at 200-plus kilometres an hour, the studied carefullness of the Dutch in going through the mountain passes and the generally quicker tempo that prevails on European roads as compared with those in Canada. If you were to ask me which country I would prefer not to drive in, I would be ready with a definite answer - it is France. Never mind that I have navigated around Paris on a number of occasions, including periodic forays into the notorious Place de L’etoile, or that I even drove a brand new car through the entire city at evening rush hour time. Those are two of my most notable accomplish­ ments but that does not mean for one second that I relish driving in France or that I even approach it with the same challenge as I do the German autobahnen. Frankly I think that a lot of French drivers are mad, pure and simple. First a few statistics. Both France and Germany have about the same number of people, 55,000,000 and about the same number of cars. However, the Germans, with'their devotion to blinding speed, see about 8,000 of their countrymen killed each year, are considerably behind the French who. in the same period of time, suffer about 3,000 more fatalities. Under the same ground rules, this is almost twice as bad as in North America. On a busy summer weekend about twice as many people will be killed in France in car accidents as in either Italy or Spain. This statistic alone should tell you something. It should not surprise you at all to learn that by far the worst offen­ ders are young male drivers. It is strange that the same people who can be so charming and courteous at a party can become maniacs once they get behind the wheel. One of the most interesting and plausible theories comes from Pierre Karli, a brain specialist who has written a well documented book entitled “The Aggressive Man.” Dr. Karli is convinced that one of the chief causes of the large number of accidents is due to the desire of young men to express what a high opinion they have of themselves and what an equally low opinion the same men have of other people. Out on the road where they are just one of many cars, the driver feels THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1989. PAGE 5. anonymous and at the same time feels free to do things that would cause him shame if he were among his own community of people. At the same time the driver of other cars are also anonymous and thus become the ideal scapegoat for aggressive action. This anonymity spreads over to pedestrians as well. Last year in France about 1,600 pedestrians were killed and 30,000 injured with half of these deaths and injuries taking place within a few meters of a pedestrian crossing. I can assure you that 1 became aware of this years ago; I had two narrow escapes in which the driver both times showed an utter disregard for my safety. The urge Thad to take the same drivers out and shoot them was never more pronounced. There is another belief prevalent in France; many drivers think that, even if they do break a law, they will not get caught or, if they are, they will be able to use what influence they have and get off. The record shows that, if they are handed a traffic violation, only 20 per cent pay promptly. The rest stall, hoping that their sins will be forgiven during the next national elections. The more influential resort to having their parliamen­ tary representative wipe the slate clean forthem. In a recent survey, only 115 of 895 senators and national assembly members said they would not grant such conces­ sions. While the French government, at least officially, is not taking a cavalier attitude towards the whole situation, it is quite obvious that any solution to the problem is long term in nature. Initiatives have been taken to make the younger drivers more aware of their atti­ tudes on the road, and an attempt is being made to make drunk driving and aggressiveness on the roads something both socially una- ceptable if not ridiculous. In the shorter term, well publicized road­ side courts have been set up at which offenders can be stripped of their licences or taken off to witness a film which paints a grim picture of road accidents. While all this is having an effect, and 1 certainly hope that it does, I for one will be doing as little driving in France. When 1 do 1 will take very seriously the old adage that the safest way to drive is to assume that every other driver on the road is a complete idiot. Letter to the editor Steps should be taken to protect environment THE EDITOR, Your editorial in the Citizen on October 25, 1989, “A Natural Solution’’ was very good. It was precise, to the point and offered a realistic solution to a very real environmental problem. The only point you missed was the fact that the burning of leaves releases massive amounts of car­ bon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to the “green­ house effect’’. The amount of leaves burned here in Brussels added to the amount burned in other areas as well as across the country becomes a similar situation to the burning of the rainforests. It may not be to the same degree of destruction but it still adds up. The problem is people are not listening or thinking about what they are doing. Even after your editorial people continued to burn their leaves or jump in their vehicles to drive them to the dump. Easy way to rid Brussels of leaves discovered THE EDITOR, Your editorial in the Citizen concerning leaf disposal reminded me of the past week (written Oct. 25) when I witnessed the efforts of several of the citizens of Ontario’s prettiest village as they disposed of their leaves. I was driving home from a day in the Big City, and I was sure from all the smoke I saw as I approached Brussels, that I would find the Brussels Fire Department on one of their twice yearly calls. But lo and behold it was the beginning of the annual Leaf Burning Week in Brussels. No, Mi. Editor, leaf burning is not a thing of the past as you suggest in your editorial. I quickly booted it through town and headed west into the fresh Morris air. It wasn't long until I began to notice a steady stream of leaves on the road which were quickly being blow into the ditch by the ap­ proaching vehicles. I assumed that one of Brussels fine citizens were on their way to the T.O.M. - V.O.B. Landfill site where they would be disappointed to find the gate closed. It wasn’t long until I noticed an approaching pickup truck with leaves just a flying off the rear end. Quite simply, driving to the dump does just as much environmental damage as the burning of the leaves. They were probably burned in the dump anyway. Therefore it was an unnecessary use of the vehicle. Burning and/or burying garbage and other wastes is no solution to the problem. The real solution to this dilemma depends on government at all levels and the people themselves. We need proper recyling programs and composting habits. Our muni­ cipal councils should be leading the way in this endeavour. Don’t stop at just recycling cans and news­ print. Half of the people in this town probably aren’t recycling even these. We should be sorting all of our garbage. I would like to see Brussels council* pass by-laws governing waste disposal (toxic substances, recycling, composting, etc.) in the village, such as: When I came to the centre sideroad I could see where the driver of the truck had made a U-turn to head back towards Brussels with the remainder of this load. Mr. Editor, I couldn’t have spread a load of manure any better than he was spreading leaves. Oh well, at least he wasn’t polluting the air. I’m sure the grass will grow well next year along at least the east half of the fifth of Morris. Then I got to thinking, maybe there’s no harm in disposing of leaves in this fashion. If the Morris Twp. fathers haven’t enacted a by-law prohibiting the disposal of Brussels leaves in Morris, then everyone in Brussels could load up their leaves and spread them all around our fine township. Perhaps Brussels council could even hire a person once a year to co-ordinate the whole effort. After all we don’t want all of Brussels leaves on the fifth of Morris. And we here in Sunshine already have enough leaves of our own, thank you. You know 1 might even apply for such a job if it were advertised. After all it’s hard to get a job in Sunshine these days. Facetious Lee Sunshine. 1) Ban burning of leaves, garb­ age or toxic wastes in the village, 2) Mandatory backyard compost­ ing for every household, 3) A community compost in the old town dump at the north end of town which could be plowed into area farmland later. 4) Compulsory sorting of gar­ bage: cans, bottles, newsprint, number one paper, magazines, plastic, etc. 5) Ban batteries, paints, and other toxic waste from garbage. These items should be picked up at Residents did themselves proud THE EDITOR, I hope I am speaking for the residents of Brussels, Morris and Grey. When a community has faith in itself, great things can be accom­ plished. And when people in that community, with different back­ grounds and interests, find out that they can work together toward a common cause --- then the sky’s the limit. The satellite Huronview North is Reeves say thanks for community response THE EDITOR, We wish to express our sincere gratitude for the tremendous sup­ port we received from area resi­ dents in order to bring the satellite Huronview to Brussels. A special thank you is extended to the churches, service clubs and individuals who write letters of support for the project and the many people who travelled to Child abuse course planned The prevention of child abuse is the topic of a workshop for early childhood educators to be held Wednesday, November 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Clinton Town Hall. Mr. Vic Chetcuti, a Child Abuse Specialist with Family and Child­ ren’s Services of London and Middlesex, will be the guest spea­ ker. Mr. Chetcuti will provide participants with information on recognizing child abuse, handling a disclosure and reporting abuse. various intervals during the year and disposed of properly. 6) Ban the use of toxic chemical lawn and garden sprays, pesti­ cides, etc. within the village, 7) Ban household toxic chemicals such as some soaps, cleansers, bleaches, etc. from the municipal treatment plant until the sewage system can be upgraded to remove these and other chemicals from the water before it is discharged into the river. I would also like to see recycling bins at the ball park and at the B. M. & G. Community Centre. comig to Brussels. Many area residents had ex­ pressed doubt that Brussels would have any chance at all of being chosen over Wingham. (Another David and Goliath story and David won again). But these people were not aware of the many volunteers who were putting their various talents, expertise and contacts to work toward lobbying for Brussels. Not a stone was left unturned! At this time I would like to express my Goderich to the Huron County Council Session on November 2. We are looking forward to work­ ing with the Province, the County of Huron and the community on this exciting project. GORDON WORKMAN, REEVE OF BRUSSELS DOUG FRASER, REEVE OF MORRIS TOWNSHIP LEONA ARMSTRONG, REEVE OF GREY TOWNSHIP. The evening will conclude with information on prevention pro­ grammes for early childhood edu­ cation services. The workshop is sponsored by the Huron County Community Child Abuse Co-ordinating Com­ mittee. For registration information con­ tact the Community Child Abuse Co-ordinator at Family and Child­ ren’s Services at 524-7356. There is a $5.00 registration fee. We have a situation where a municipal government will say that it is a county problem. County will say that is provincial jurisdiction and so on. There is more and more bureaucratic red tape, and nothing gets done. Isn’t it about time we took some responsibility and got some action taken at all levels of government? We all have to learn to reduce, recycle, reuse, recover, and rethink to solve these problems. Deborah Trollope Brussels. thanks to everyone who worked so hard tox bring Huronview to Brus­ sels. What can we tackle next? To the residents of Brussels, Morris and Grey 1 say: Keep up the good work. There is much yet to be done and we can do it. Grateful Lee [no relation to Facetious Lee J Mabel's Grill Continued from page 4 to the article about the ingenious British better who found a new way to make’sure the horse he wanted to lose didn’t come in first. Seems he invented a “stun gun’’ that sent out a strong signal that made the horse veer off course just as he was in the lead. The whole thing was disguised in a pair of binoculars. “You think I could sneak a pair of those into the public gallery at Parliament?’’ Billie wondered. “Won’t do any good,’’ Tim said. “They’re already so stunned they wouldn’t notice.’’ FRIDAY: Julia was saying it was really nice to see the way people have come to the aid of the earthquake victims in San Francis­ co but she really had to wonder about the gift from Paul Newman. “The gift of $250,000 was fine,’’ she said, “but what are they going to do with the 10,000 pounds of spaghetti sauce?’’ Newman owns a company that makes spaghetti sauce, popcorn, salad dressing and lemonade. Well, said Tim, this is California you know. You expect them to have soup kitchens? Spaghetti kitchens is the least you can expect.