We are nearing the end of summer and still have one more long weekend to go before school begins and the regular routine of life gets back into full swing.
This means one more weekend of busy roads and parking lots in downtown Lake Cowichan as tourists and locals alike make their way to the river, the lake, or the campgrounds that surround the area.
With this in mind, I would like to remind everyone out there, especially those with an N on the back of their vehicles, to slow down and be considerate of others on the road.
I have a few pet peeves I would like to vent, and I’m sure that others out there would have a few to add.
Number one: Don’t tailgate me. I’m not a slow driver, so I know I’m not causing you to be late for your appointment in Duncan, or God forbid, your party date out in Port Renfrew, so have some patience and back off.
Number two: Don’t pull out making a left hand turn when there are cars approaching from either direction. If you know you only have seconds to make the turn without causing an accident, wait until the coast is clear. If there is no-one behind me, giving you full clearance within a matter of moments, I don’t see the need for you to endanger my life or someone else’s because you are in a rush.
Number three: Use your turn signals. Slowing down to a crawl because you are trying to find the road you are looking for, but not using your turn signal to indicate your intent, is not only frustrating, it’s rude. If you’re a tourist, you might want to consider pulling over completely and looking at your map, either on your hand-held device or on good old fashioned paper.
Number four: Don’t peel out in front of me in the roundabout when I have clearly gotten there before you and have myself had enough consideration to slow down to look for oncoming traffic. I’ll remember your vehicle and might not be so polite the next time.
— editor@lakecowichangazette.com