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Petition submitted to provincial government to put passing lanes on Veterans Memorial Highway

The survivor of a fatal car crash on Veterans Memorial Highway has submitted a petition to the provincial government.

Pauline Quinlan survived a fatal crash on the highway last year

Pauline Quinlan survived a crash on Veterans Memorial Highway last year. Now she is calling for passing lanes. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)

Pauline Quinlan wasn't going to submit her petition for passing lanes on Veterans Memorial Highway until it hit 10,000 signatures.

But last Friday, she was moved to send it to the provincial government prematurely when she learned about another death on the stretch of highway near Bay Roberts.

Quinlan is still dealing with the emotional aftershock of her crash last year.

"The sounds and sights that I have to relive in my head every day is a constant reminder of the dangers that highways presents," she said.

Fighting for passing lanes on Veteran's Memorial

7 years ago
Duration 2:00
This woman survived a crash, but driving habits she's witness have pushed her to start a petition to try and make the highway safer.

Four people have been killed on the highway in less than one month.

CBC News has also been sent several videos of dangerous driving on the stretch of road, which has no passing lanes and a speed limit of 100 kilometres an hour.

Emergency responders on the scene of a fatal collision on Veterans Memorial Highway in September. (Janelle Kelly/CBC)

Here & Now's Anthony Germain showed some of those videos to Quinlan. She was flabbergasted.

"When people get behind the wheel of a vehicle, they are driving a loaded weapon," she said. "There are words that aren't fit for television that I repeat to myself over and over."

Drivers passing on Veterans Memorial Highway

7 years ago
Duration 0:38
Just days after a fatal crash on the highway, speeding drivers were caught on camera passing on double lines.

The petition was submitted to Steve Crocker, MHA for Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde, with 8,592 signatures.

Whether any changes come of it or not, Quinlan has some advice for drivers on the Veterans Memorial Highway.

"Slow down," she said. "If I'm five minutes late for work, I'm five minutes late. I'm not in a morgue."

With files from Anthony Germain