This past week I violated a traffic law. Knowing full well I could stop, I proceeded through an intersection as the light turned red.
After a quick glance into my rear-view mirror, hoping not to see those flashing blue and red lights, I promised to never do it again and proceeded on my way.
We’ve all done it. Most of the time nothing comes of it. But occasionally, the timing is all wrong and a real disaster results.
The Humboldt bus crash was one of those moments. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu flew through a stop sign at the exact wrong moment. A few seconds could have made the difference. It could have saved 16 lives.
As I heard clips of victim impact statements this past week, I couldn’t help but put myself in the shoes of the young man whose life is now the epicentre of one critical mistake.
As it turns out, he was inexperienced. He had only been driving semi-trucks for three weeks. Moments before the crash, he was preoccupied with a tarp that kept coming loose, one that covered the peat moss he was transporting. He made no attempt to stop his truck because he didn’t even realize there was a stop sign. He was distracted.
Once again, I can relate. Growing up on the farm, I was transporting grain in over-sized trucks before I even had a license (don’t tell anyone). Driving in the darkest hours of night to get a harvest off the field, we sometimes did things that weren't quite safe. Distractions while driving, like fiddling with the two-way radio while barreling down a narrow grid road, were not uncommon.
Fortunately, the roads in our parts were not too busy. Fortunately, nothing terrible happened.
I can only imagine being a new driver in a new country, driving a full semi-truck, trying to make a deadline in an unfamiliar province. I can understand the concern with other things, like making sure you're not losing valuable product to the wind, all the while forgetting that your main job is to drive.
The sentencing for the young man will take place on March 22, where Sidhu could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The Crown is asking for 10 years. After serving a sentence in prison, he would likely be deported, even though he is a permanent resident of Canada.
While I agree there should be a penalty for violating traffic laws and for causing death (intentional or not), I wonder if justice will be served.
Sidhu is living through his own personal hell, one that will haunt him for the rest of his life. His tearful apology showed that he has been profoundly affected by his own guilt. Jail time, while it may be warranted, will not help him or the families affected on their roads to recovery.
Not to be flippant, but Sidhu would have faced a mere traffic fine if no bus had been crossing at that moment. His intentions were not to hurt others.
As we saw in a recent court case in rural Saskatchewan – the one that involved a farmer who accidentally shot and killed an Aboriginal youth – when it comes to real justice, our legal system so often falls short.
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