The real problem is a lack of proactive thinking. No one seems to have much of it. Where 184 Street southbound meets the Yellowhead Trail, in Edmonton, there is a new overpass, and it's a MORONIC design that has everyone turning left across traffic, even for right turns. To make matters worse, you turn left at on a crest, meaning it's difficult to see oncoming traffic. THEN, when it's icy, being stopped on that uphill slope means much longer times to get across to safety. People mat it and polish that turn lane to marble-ice.
So, here I am toodling down 184 in a near-blizzard with super-icy roads. Yup, I'm doing about 55 in the 70 zone and I don't even plan on trying that stupid turn. I already have a plan to go through the intersection and double back, dramatically reducing my risk and stress level. Sure, it might even mean an extra five minutes, but what the hell is five minutes? Cripes, people live to be 90 all the time, we can't spare five stupid minutes to decrease our stress and increase our safety?
If I drove that Canal road on a regular basis, I'd think, "hhhmm, icy conditions would be bad here. If I have to drive here in poor conditions I'll really get my speed down and pay close attention." So what if some bonehead in his Ram gives you the bird 'cause you're doing 40 in the 60? I'd rather have some hat-head arse mad at me than be dead in the water, literally.
I do wish that engineers would pay close attention to road design and safety, and I think they do for the most part, but there is a point where you say "so what if it's a bad design, I want to LIVE."
Gabbing on the phone and trusting her SUV to save her on the ice were the main contributing factors here. Sad, but true. Stack her bad judgement on top of a poor design and you've got a horrific event.
