Did you remember?
Did you remember to pocket your cellphone before getting behind the wheel of your car? And did you remember that talking on a cellphone while driving anywhere in B.C. - and most of Canada - is an offence that carries hefty fines?
Did you remember to forget about texting while driving?
Did you remember to get a good night's sleep before getting into your car in the morning? Did you remember to pull over when you started getting tired?
Did you remember to arrange for another way home when you went out for a drink with your friends? Did you pick a designated driver? Or call a taxi? Or check the bus schedule?
Did you remember to let someone else drive while you were under the influence of drugs - prescription or otherwise?
Did you remember to ease your foot off the gas pedal a bit, to slow down to the posted speed limit - or slower, when weather conditions called for it - to give yourself enough time to react to sudden or unexpected actions by less-attentive drivers around you? Or to give yourself time to deal with an unanticipated road condition, or a careless pedestrian, or an unthinking animal crossing the road in front of you?
Did you put away the burger, fries, and soft drink while driving?
Did you remember that it was National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada yesterday?
Maybe you were never aware of the National Day of Remembrance.
The day is aimed at raising awareness of the devastating impact of forgetting any of the driving risk factors listed above (and others).
And it's aimed at remembering the victims - and the families of victims - of the terrible carnage on Canada's roads each year.
Nearly 50 lives are claimed every year in road crashes in the Lower Mainland alone.
Extrapolate that number right across Canada, and the very thought of forgetting any of those risk factors becomes intolerable.
