The Rural Voice, 2006-07, Page 6Carol Riemer
Summer driving — take it slow and east
Carol Riemer
is a freelance
writer who
lives with her
husband and
two
children near
Grand
Valley,
Ontario.
Usually, Sunday mornings are
quiet in the country. During the
summer, the traffic heading up to the
cottage has generally subsided by
then, and the long trek home has not
yet reached its peak.
On this particular Sunday, I have
decided to make a trip into town to
get some groceries. The road glistens
in the distance, tractor tire marks
along the shoulder have left telltale
signs of recent activity, and bales of
hay randomly dot the rolling
landscape.
In town, the traffic is heavy.
Tourists and local shoppers
intermingle, darting in and out of
stores, or strolling along the
sidewalk, enjoying the fine summer
weather.
Inside the grocery store, I'm busy
checking off the items on my list,
oblivious to the growing lineup at the
cash register. Eventually, the crowd
thins and, before long, I'm back in
the car and heading home, hoping
that the ice cream won't melt before I
get there.
Just outside of town. I'm about to
turn off onto the road that takes me
home again. Waiting for a line of cars
to pass in the opposite lane, I hear the
driver behind me suddenly lean on
his horn. Perhaps he doesn't see the
approaching transport truck, I think to
myself. As I continue to wait, he
leans on his horn a little harder. Now,
I am thinking that either this guy is
from the city, where horns seem to be
in constant use. or he must be
suffering from a bad case of heat
stroke. Finally, there is a break in the
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2 THE RURAL VOICE
traffic, and I safely make my turn. He
follows me for a while, before
passing and then, in a burst of
acceleration, disappears in the
distance, followed by a swirling
cloud of dust. I'm going the speed
limit, so I'm unlikely to see him
again, unless, somewhere up ahead,
he accidentally sails into the ditch or
wraps his car around a roadside tree.
Fortunately, neither incident appears
to have happened.
Continuing my journey, I quickly
check the rear view mirror. This time,
the car behind is following at a
comfortable distance. As I make my
way around a bend in the road,
however, things begin to change.
Suddenly, the vehicle is beside me.
Passing on a curve, the driver barely
makes it back into the lane, before
meeting a line of oncoming cars. At
this point, melting ice cream has
become the least of my worries.
Before I make it back home, two
other cars pass me, one just as I
signal to turn into the driveway.
It seems to me that those who
travel between urban centres
sometimes forget that they are
driving through rural communities
where people live and work. More
caution needs to be exercised in
observing the speed limit in these
areas, especially in the presence of
tractors and other farm vehicles.
There are school buses, horse trailers,
and cattle carriers on the road, not to
mention a variety of wildlife that may
dart out at unexpected times.
Contrary to what some drivers
may think, rural roads are not the
same as high speed, limited access
thoroughfares. In winter, we place a
great deal of emphasis on road safety.
During the summer months, however,
it is just as important that we keep
our cool and avoid speeding. Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.)
posts signs along the side of the road
to remind us that it is important to
stop impaired driving. With summer
holidays coming up, perhaps, it
would be a good idea to put up
another sign, one that cautions drivers
to slow down and take it easy along
country roads.0