Dear Editor,

I鈥檝e racked my feeble brain until it鈥檚 become red raw. Try as I might, I simply can鈥檛 understand it.

I鈥檝e scratched that irritable pimple that lives on the top of my head until it hurts but it hasn鈥檛 done any good.

It鈥檚 a mystery.

I鈥檝e searched and searched the web until my internet disconnected itself, but it didn鈥檛 understand me.

鈥淭here must be a shortage of headlamp bulbs in Canada,鈥� I told myself and at once anxiety set in because this is a serious issue and I just had to sit down.

Well, when I need to know, I need to know, and a trip to the local store calmed my fears.

There they were, rows upon rows of them, hanging there like little soldiers and much to my surprise they were generally quite affordable 鈥� in fact no more than that must-do trip to Timmys.

鈥淪o it can鈥檛 be availability or cost,鈥� I assured myself and crossed those off the list.

鈥淎hh.鈥� I thought. 鈥淚n that case it must be that they鈥檙e hard to identify and find.鈥�

鈥淏ut,鈥� I replied. 鈥渁ren鈥檛 broken headlamp bulbs really easy to spot, after all they don鈥檛 hide themselves and, well, when they don鈥檛 work you can鈥檛 see them, after all that鈥檚 the point.鈥�

鈥淎hh鈥�,鈥� I told myself. 鈥淚n that case they must be difficult to replace.鈥�

鈥淏ut, 鈥� I reassured myself, 鈥渞emember the last time you changed that bulb? It was easy to find because, well you could see where it was, and although that special tool, that screwdriver, was hard to dig out of the toolbox, you did manage to change it all by yourself without having to cry for help or breaking any bones.鈥�

鈥淚 know, I know,鈥� I agreed. 鈥淏ut getting off that comfy couch in the first place and putting the beer down, well that was really difficult and it did take some effort.鈥�

Now I know I鈥檓 a grumpy old sod, and I do tend to moan about everything from the weather, the outrageous price of wine-making kits, and the amount of tax I pay, but this problem of dead headlamp bulbs is a serious problem, for other road users at least.

Time and time again, on dark nights, I鈥檒l be driving along some unlit back road only to be met by a single bright light heading my way.

One so bright and so blinding that it must be on main beam because with only one light working the other driver needs to blind everyone else so that he or she can see where they鈥檙e going.

鈥淏ugger!鈥� I鈥檒l shout at myself. 鈥淣ot another one! Is it a motorcycle or a truck? If it鈥檚 a truck what side of the truck is it on? How much space should I give it to be safe?鈥�

I find myself having to slow down and hug the side of the road, just in case, and trust that I don鈥檛 end up in a ditch.

RECENT LETTER: 91原创 Township council鈥檚 budget process flawed

Why don鈥檛 they fix it?

In fact there are a number of issues here.

1. What is it about so many, otherwise nice responsible adults that they insist on driving cars and trucks on our roads that aren鈥檛 fit to be driven?

2. What is it about these irresponsible people that tells them they don鈥檛 need to care about other road users?

3. If they can鈥檛 be bothered to change something like a light bulb, you have to wonder what condition other parts of the vehicle are in, like brakes and steering?

4. Why, when they鈥檙e so easy to spot, don鈥檛 the local gendarmerie drag them kicking and screaming to the local pound until they get their lights fixed and throw the book at them on the way?

Like I said, It鈥檚 a mystery to me.

David Jackaman, Aldergrove

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ANOTHER RECENT LETTER: Baffled by warning signs in 91原创

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