I often joke that Ottawa drivers are the worst drivers in the world and Orléans drivers are the worst drivers in Ottawa. Of course, I’m speaking about all those people who don’t read the Orléans Star, because our readers are among the best drivers in Orléans.

But seriously, what is happening on our streets every day is mind-boggling. I personally have had four near misses in the past week – once while driving my car, once while out on my motorcycle and twice while taking my evening walk. In each case, the offending culprit wasn’t paying attention to what they were doing.

On the two occasions when I almost got hit while walking, the driver was in the process of doing a rolling stop, or at least they were in the second incidence, In the first incident they were rolling without any intention of stopping until I got their attention.

Sticking to the issue of rolling stops, they seen to have become an epidemic in Orléans. Once you start looking for it, you see it almost every time a car comes to a stop sign.

But the biggest issue is drivers not paying attention to what they are doing, or not having a clue as to what’s going on around them. They’re driving in their own little world. God forbid they would check their mirrors to see if there’s anyone behind them, or keep an eye out for pedestrians or cyclists.

They have no idea of proper driving etiquette, or even an understanding of basic driving rules. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in a situation when the other driver has no concept of the proper right-of-way given at a four-way stop. (BTW, if two or more cars stop at the same time, the right-of-way goes to the vehicle on the right.)

And if you think it’s bad in a car, you should try riding around town on a motorcycle. You need to have your head on a swivel and be prepared to be cut off, on a regular basis, especially on Innes Road, or driving along the 174 or the Queensway.

Things have gotten so bad that something needs to be done. I would call for the OPS to step up enforcement, but the City has become so dependent on red light cameras and photo radar that you can often go a week driving around Orléans and not see a single police car.

Perhaps the City could take some of the millions of dollars in fines the cameras are getting and spend it on more patrol cars. Then again that wouldn’t do anything to cut down on the number of knuckleheads driving around out there.

Or here’s a radical idea; why not make drivers take a road test every four or five years? I’ve always found it puzzling that once you pass your driver’s test, you have a license practically for life. If you force drivers to get retested every four years, it might take the really bad ones off the road. That way you would improve public safety and cut down on traffic congestion at the same time. Brilliant.