I don't know if this thought came to me while I was watching the guy in the rust-red pickup fishtail through a left hand turn on a stale yellow light, or when the driver of the silver luxury sedan almost ran me over in the crosswalk, or when someone in a hatchback almost ripped off my front fender while I was motionless at a red light.
This is my big idea for the day: bad drivers are idiots.
I know, not exactly revolutionary. But it could be!
When in traffic court, the police, Crown lawyers, judge, and witnesses all have to use polite language.
The defendant. The driver. Mr. So-and-So. Ms. Whatshername.
What if we changed the wording on a driver's licence once a person accumulated a certain number of points for traffic violations?
Bad drivers already pay more for their insurance if they rack up points for speeding, driving recklessly, blowing through stop signs, and so forth.
So, if they hit 10 points, they're compelled to also get a new driver's licence.
On it will be their new title: Licensed Driver (Idiot).
Imagine the delightful change in traffic court when police are testifying.
Crown: "Please describe for the court exactly what the idiot did."
Mountie: "Well your honour, the idiot sped through a stop sign and almost ran over a cyclist who had the right of way. Then, while we were just getting the lights and sirens going, the idiot went through a school zone at 70.
"We followed him for half a kilometre before he noticed our lights and finally pulled over, because the idiot was playing a book on tape of The Secret at full volume."
Crown: "And is that idiot in this courtroom today?"
Mountie: "Yes, it's that idiot right over there."
Aside from the entertainment value for reporters, the public and officers of the court, this could have at least as much of a chilling effect as more tickets.
No one likes to be told they're an idiot. But some people clearly are idiots, not because of their IQ or their education, but because of their behaviour.
You can be a MENSA member with a six-figure salary and be an idiot on the road each and every day, while there are plenty of folks out there who never finished high school who drive with care for others.
Being an idiot behind the wheel has very little to do with actual intelligence. It has to do with self-centredness, a lack of empathy and a failure to imagine the consequences of one's actions.
I suggest the following scale for drivers in B.C. If successful, we could maybe export it to other provinces and countries.
? Twit: Five points on the license. If you drive without incident for a year, your status as a Twit will be expunged.
? Idiot: 10 points or more on a license. At this point, you're already paying some pretty hefty ICBC premiums, but that obviously fails to drive home the lesson for some people. Will be expunged by three years of safe driving.
? Freakin' Idiot: 15 or more points on a license.
Congratulations, you've graduated from being a garden-variety idiot. Will be reduced to Idiot by a year of safe driving.
? Moronic menace: 20 or more license points. Cannot be revoked, but after five years of safe driving, a notation will be added to your license saying you are a retired menace.
? Future killer: 30 or more points. You are so clearly a danger to yourself and others every time you sit behind the wheel of a car that it's only a matter of time before you kill or maim someone.
? Murderous Fool: If you ever get your license back after killing someone with your car, this is your designation for life.
Matthew Claxton is a reporter with the Langley Advance.
