As the Coordinator of the Jasper Victim Services Unit, Paul Schmidt is on call at all hours of the day,聽 ensuring that someone is always available to console and assist victims of tragic accidents and crimes in Jasper National Park. In some cases that's a family member of someone who's been injured or killed. In other cases it's the victim of a crime or the witness of a crime.
In this monthly column, Schmidt will talk about some of the issues he sees. He won't speak for victims or any of the other agencies that work with them, but will address the issues from a victim services perspective, drawing on his years of experience out in the field.
I'm from Saskatchewan, and at the risk of getting into trouble with my fellow Saskatchewanians, I often joke that if you're in Saskatchewan it takes at least nine hours to get anywhere fun.
Of course this is just a joke, but anyone who loves to ski, and has lived in Saskatchewan, will understand.
As the busy summer season ends in Jasper, we trade one specific set of issues for another, with additional hazards on the park's roads, for snow and ice conditions. So, it seems timely to broach the topic of travel, both on the roads in Jasper National Park, and wherever else our travels may take us.
As in other years, we saw a number of solemn fatalities this summer that were sad for the families and everyone involved. There have been unbearable loses that I wish no one would have to endure, and I hope that we can improve our chances of keeping ourselves and others safe on our roads.
I personally drive an average of 45,000 km per year and I know that many Jasperites also travel large amounts with work, travel, sporting commitments and to visit family and friends.
While travelling, we see many hazards on the road, including road construction, animals, people stopping to look at animals (on the side or in the middle), and people crossing the highway to get better pictures.
We also deal with single lane traffic, in all three directions in and out of the Jasper National Park. There are long stretches of road where there are few passing lanes and no turning lanes. The traffic lights at the intersection of Highway 16 and 93 and the pedestrian crossing at Highway 16 and 93A are the first traffic signals that drivers see after Hinton, Valemount, or Banff, and often drivers don't give the necessary attention when approaching these controlled intersections.
With all of these challenging factors, we need to be cautious and use a heightened level of awareness to make efforts to avoid collisions. We need to be watching for sleepy drivers who have driven great distances to get here, drivers who may be distracted by the scenery, or by phones and cameras.
There are also drunk drivers on the road and we need to constantly be looking for people who are swerving across the lines, or driving erratically. We need to be extra cautious ourselves, as those travelling around us are not always doing their part.
The hyper vigilance that I utilize while driving is something that I hope will help to protect me from what often seem to be senseless collisions. I am aware of being more tired after my long drives than I used to be, and I often find a day of driving to be as tiring as a day of activity.
I鈥檓 hoping this article can be a reminder for us all to do everything we can to help us stay safe in our travels.
I know that not every collision can be avoided, but I hope that some of the needless ones can be evaded with a little more care.
In next month's edition of Jasper Victim Services Perspective, Schmidt will address domestic violence.
Paul Schmidt
Special to the 51暗网
