Canada PoliticsB.C. Premier Christy Clark slammed for running a red light
We've all done it. At least once, late at night when no one was watching?
We've all ran a red light, right?
Well, so has B.C. Premier Christy Clark.
On Saturday, the Vancouver Sun published an excellent 4,000 word essay — if you will — by journalist Jonathan Fowlie about Christy Clark, her background, her relationship with her son Hamish and about the upcoming May 14th election. You should read it here — it is really very well written.
[ Related: B.C. Premier Christy Clark criticized for joke about her ex-husband ]
At one point in the artilce, Fowlie recounts a morning where he traveled with Clark and Hamish — in their Acura SUV — as mother took son to school.
At times, [Clark and Hamish] seem more like sidekicks — siblings even — than they do mother and son. And especially so the morning when the two were on their way to Hamish’s goalie clinic.
“Let’s see you go through this red light,” Hamish challenged as they pulled up that morning, at 5:15 a.m., to an abandoned Vancouver intersection.
“I might. Don’t test me,” Clark replies.
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
“Should I?”
“There’s no one.”
“Would you go through? You shouldn’t because that would be breaking the law,” she says.
And with that the car has already sailed underneath the stale red stoplight and through the empty intersection.
“You always do that,” says Hamish.
The story — on the Twittersphere at least — is that the premier of British Columbia 'runs red lights.'
Dix doesn't pay Skytrain fare. Clark runs red light with son (and Van Sun reporter) in car. Which do people think is worse offence? #bcpoli
— Keith Baldrey (@keithbaldrey) April 27, 2013
Christy Clark ran a red light with her kid in the car and told a reporter. What about this spells "good judgement" or "premier material". — eap (@ea_p) April 27, 2013
ICBC fines and penalty for Christy Clark infraction: Section 129(1) Red light at intersection $167 plus 2 demerit points
— Dean Skoreyko (@bcbluecon) April 27, 2013
Christy Clark's red light running reminds me of another politician, but at least he was consulting facts ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-bu… #bcpoli — Jeffrey Ferrier (@jtferrier) April 27, 2013
[ Related: Decade-old ruling allows Vancouver bus drivers dodge red-light camera fines ]
According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, approximately 60 per cent of all crashes in B.C. occur at intersections, and running red lights is listed as one of the primary reasons why.
That's probably why ICBC, along with the Government of British Columbia, put out this warning:
Running red lights puts everyone at risk.
That's why the police, the provincial government and ICBC have introduced the intersection safety camera program. For more intersection safety tips, see our high-risk driving fact sheet. (PDF)
"Red light" cameras are set up at 140 of the highest-risk intersections across the province to reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.
I guess there wasn't a red light camera at that intersection?
Sure, we've all done it.
But for the premier to run a red light with a reporter in her car, just weeks before an election wasn't the brightest move in the world.
Update: Sunday April 28 at 3:45 p.m. (EST):
Christy Clark has apologized for running a red light.
"I work hard to be a great parent and I'm not a perfect parent," she told reporters on Sunday morning denying that she does it frequently.
"I shouldn't have done it.
Meanwhile, CKNW Radio notes that NDP leader Adrian Dix is taking the high road.
Adrian Dix says there are more important issues voters must consider than Clark's driving habits.
"The liberals as you know, ran a very significant number of very negative ads on the SkyTrain thing. I'm not going to engage in that kind of thing."
Dix is referring to an incident last year in which he was caught on SkyTrain without a ticket.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters)
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