Roger-Luc Chayer
My little Rubbermade container sacrificed itself a few days ago to teach a speeder the rules of zebra crossings in Quebec. Wanting to cross rue Alexandre-de-Sève lately, I used, as it should, the zebra crossing at my disposal. A first vehicle coming from my left stops as required by the Quebec road safety regulations, I move forward and arrived in the middle of the street, another vehicle, coming from my right, arrives at full speed (around 50 in a zone of 30) and totally ignores me, putting my life in danger. Arrived at my height, not only does he not stop, he looks in front of him without ever realizing that I was there…
I then took two steps back and while shouting a « HEY » to him that he couldn’t ignore, I threw my empty Rubbermade container at him, which hit his driver’s side window. It was only then that the driver in his early twenties pulled over, insulted that he had something thrown at his car. Angry, he asks me “why did you do that? “, and I explain to him, raising my voice, that he had ignored me when there was a zebra crossing that he also completely ignored. He then asks me where the zebra crossing was and I point out the yellow stripes behind his vehicle and the sign on the sidewalk indicating the crossing.
He replies that he had not seen him, but that he is a human being and that he should not be treated like this. Ah good?, I say to him!! And he tells me I’m lucky his window isn’t broken. So there I explained to him exactly the situation in good canayen! If he had had the window broken, he would have contacted the police who would have come to find that he had violated a zebra crossing while a pedestrian was crossing. Huge fine, verification of license, registration and insurance. And how fast he was going? He asks me how I was going to prove it?
I point the surveillance camera right in front of him, so fine or suspension of license and seizure of the vehicle for excessive speeding. It was there that the charming gentleman turned yellow and realized all the implications of not respecting the highway safety code which obliges motorists to ensure the safety of pedestrians. He lowered his voice and apologized for not seeing me. I accepted his apology and he left much more calmly. And me, I had the feeling of the duty accomplished in information. For my Rubbermade pot, a memorial ceremony was held the next day. To the trash!