Most weeks I get a chuckle out of the weekly police report submitted by the Sunshine Coast RCMP.
There was the incident last week where a bear was caught in a back yard swimming pool taking a dip, the report of a rock in the middle of the road that turned out to be a pillow in the middle of Highway 101 - and this classic from a few months ago, where youths were warned of safety concerns while they were practicing their Ninja skills.
But there is a serious side to the news that our local RCMP provide to us on a weekly basis, and lately it has had me thinking that there are too many people on this Coast who aren't doing much thinking.
On Sept. 20, the provincial government instituted some tough new drinking and driving laws and speeding laws - some of the toughest in the country.
Now whether you like it or not or think the laws are too tough, it's now the law and the police will be actively enforcing those laws on our roads.
I've been known to have a bit of a lead foot and have had a few speeding tickets in my life. But I don't want any part of hundreds of dollars in fines, so I've adjusted the way I drive and the speed at which I travel. But some people clearly have not, based on the press release we received this week.
The first incident involved a vehicle travelling in excess of 160 km/h in a posted 80km/h zone on Highway 101 near Homesite Creek. The second vehicle was stopped for travelling in excess of 100 km/h in a posted 50 km/h residential area, while passing another vehicle on Reed Road in Gibsons.
We're not just talking about speeding here and a few kilometres over the speed limit. This is excessive speed - so much so that it was just fortunate the drivers or pedestrians were not seriously hurt or even killed.
Both drivers had their vehicles impounded for seven days and issued violation tickets in excess of $368. Will it stop them from doing this again?I certainly hope so.
And it appears the new drinking and driving laws are working too. Again, these are extreme rules, and some may deem them unfair.
I'll admit that I love to go out to the pub with friends, watch a game and have a few pints every now and again. Who doesn't, right? But it's all about moderation and being responsible.
The new laws are not saying you can't have a good time and have a few drinks. Just don't get behind the wheel.
Take a cab, take transit or get a ride home from a designated driver. The same anti-drinking and driving message applies as it did before, just with more enhanced tools for the police to enforce the rules.
These rules might not seem fair to all, but they're in place to protect the public. Just ask yourself how your life would be impacted if a drunk or speeding driver killed a friend or family member? It's time for all of us to take some responsibility.
