'Good Samaritan' traffic accidents can be avoided, police say

"Good Samaritan" accidents like the one on University Avenue in Charlottetown last Friday can be prevented, say Charlottetown police.

• 'Nice gesture' led to serious accident in Charlottetown, police say

Last Friday afternoon, a bus driver stopped in the outside southbound lane at the KFC driveway and waved out a Toyota Echo, police said. The Echo was then struck by a Ford Escape travelling southbound on the inner lane.

Give yourself more time. Practise defensive driving. Gary McGuigan

"What we've seen is people that are travelling with the flow of traffic will stop and will wave somebody out into traffic," Deputy Police Chief Gary McGuigan told CBC News: Compass anchor Bruce Rainnie.

"They're pulling out blind into oncoming traffic," McGuigan said. "The potential for accidents is high."

Holiday traffic

Police have seen an increase in the volume of traffic coming in and out of Charlottetown because of the holiday rush, said McGuigan, increasingthe potential for accidents on the busy main thoroughfare,four-lane University Avenue.

"People are trying to get their shopping done," McGuigan noted. "Give yourself more time. Practice defensive driving."

If somebody waves you out, don't feel pressured to pull out, he added. "You have to have clear lines of sight into both lanes before you pull out."

'Don't feel safe'

"Don't feel safe because somebody is stopped and is waving you out," he said. "They have no control over the flow of traffic."

Even if you want to do something good during the holiday season, don't be tempted to wave other drivers into traffic, McGuigan warns.

"There are natural breaks in the flow of traffic that will allow people to pull out," he said. If there's no break, McGuigan advises pulling out into the flow of traffic rather than against it.

Watch Compass with Bruce Rainnie on CBC Television weekdays from 6 to 7 p.m.

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