There is a saying that in Saskatchewan there are two seasons, winter and construction.
And as much as we love to whine about the condition of Saskatchewan highways, we are just as likely to carp about construction delays. Face it, Saskatchewan drivers can be a society of complainers.
Complainers we can live with. Those who refuse to take in what is going on around them, causing mayhem and death, are harder to forgive. What is it going to take to get drivers to pay attention in, around, before and after construction zones?
In spite of clever, attention-getting education campaigns and even more attention-getting fines for disobeying speed limits, some still aren’t getting the message.
Sunday afternoon three teenage boys died when a vehicle they were in was stopped at a construction delay and was hit from behind by a semi. STARS transported a 21-year-old flagman on the construction site to Saskatoon for treatment. RCMP describe his injuries as serious. Also injured were a 19-year-old pilot vehicle driver, the 48-year-old driver of another vehicle stopped at the site and the 38-year-old semi driver, who were all treated at a local hospital for minor injuries.
Not at all a dim memory is the death two years ago of an 18-year-old flag person hit by a driver speeding through a construction zone. She was expecting a child.
Just one of those bright, young lives cut short is too many. As the tally mounts, our horror should rise along with it.
It’s construction season, folks. Be aware, drive defensively and slow down in the zone. Let’s not add to the carnage.
