MY TOPIC IS SHIFTING TODAY

 Climate change, contaminated groundwater, the Ukraine, cancer rates or politics. It's none of those albeit they are all serious and life threatening. I believe that more Canadians and Americans die per year via traffic accidents then by cancer, shootings (even in the U.S.), smoking etc.                                           ..............................................................................................                                                                              This will be short. Two incidents, both thankfully minor, in the last week. I was driving down a two way street  with multiple cars parked on the road in my lane albeit close to an upcoming stop sign. As there was no oncoming traffic I moved over to the middle of the road to go by the multiple parked cars  An old man  (very) from in front of me made a right hand turn onto the street I was on.  The parked cars were neither bumper to bumper nor far enough apart to quickly and easily duck in between them to let the oncoming car go by. I slowed down and moved as far to the right as possible without hitting any of the parked cars. The now oncoming car had slowly accelerated up to the speed limit (50 km/hr) and was between four and five feet away from his right hand curb. And still coming and NOT moving even a single inch to his right. What the hell. I'm now on the brakes firmly AND on the horn Very loudly! Impact was imminent and I'm doublechecking whether I've got even a few more inches to spare on my right but I don't. I'm almost at a dead stop. I see no moving to the right from the oncoming car and BANG our side mirrors hit each other. Frankly I expected worse and now suspect that he either finally saw me or heard my horn  and swerved to the right at the last second.                                                         ..........................................................................                                                                                                  Damages were minimal and we both got out, chatted and picked up the various pieces of our side mirrors from the roadway. When I got out I was of course pissed but quickly saw that I was dealing with perhaps an 85 year old or older?? To replace my broken mirror only (the housing was unbroken) cost me less than $200.  My expectation is that he may have a string of incidents in his background based upon his failure to react at all until possibly the very last second.                                                        ...........................................................                                                                                                                This morning a second incident and although more minor than the previous is troubling as it is an indication of the quality (Ha) of drivers on our streets. The Round About at St. Jacobs is two lanes going into the roundabout, two lanes leaving the roundabout and I would estimate the two lanes going into it run for at least three hundred metres possibly more. The two lanes going out from the Round About northward I'm sure are a good 400 metres or more before reducing to one lane. Therefore it should be a no brainer that the purpose of two lanes into, two lanes in the Round About and two lanes going out for a serious distance are to allow TWO lanes of traffic simultaneously hence at least in theory to double the volume of traffic that the Round About can handle. Well apparently not so for some drivers. Now of course this does NOT apply when it is a tractor trailer in the St. Jacobs Round About. While the lanes are ample width for cars and light trucks there is virtually no way that a tractor trailer can stay in one lane because the radius of the traffic circle is so tight for them.                                            ......................................................                                                                                                                      So as usual when there are cars ahead of me going into the Round About (traffic circle) and one of the lanes is empty I move into the empty lane. Sure enough, not at all unusually, the first car has slowed down dramatically and his brake lights are on even after he's come to a full stop. The second car behind him comes to a full stop. My view is totally unobstructed (just like their's) and I can see that the traffic circle is not only empty but there are no other cars entering the traffic circle. Hence I slowly coast by the two stopped cars and drive through the traffic circle and continue on my way.  Well you would think that I had yelled, given the finger or done something reprehensible as one of the two stopped cars (number #2?) was all over his horn as I went by. Now in hindsight could it be possible that if it was car #2 honking that he was actually honking at car #1 that had come to a full stop unnecessarily?  Hmm I guess it's possible although I'm doubtful. The point is that one driver obviously believes it's impossible to look around for possible oncoming traffic unless one is at a dead stop which is stupid or the second car feels that two lanes are NEVER to be used for "passing" even when the other cars are at a dead stop. Either way it is typically poor driving and that over the decades has become par for the course.