Frogger on the Freeway

Frogger on the Freeway
by Jim Parshall

I planned to attack the death penalty this week but, due to a run-in with one of our planets' worst drivers, I decided to launch into this topic. I would like to suggest something rather controversial: Try enforcing laws that matter.

I hear all the time about "speed emphasis" patrols. State Patrol and local police cars and motorcycles sit on the side of the road, aiming their radar guns at people like snipers locking on a target. Yet it seems not to stop speeding at all. In fact, if anything, speeding is worse than ever. Just try driving from Tacoma to Seattle or vice-versa at 60.

While researching this column, I did just that. Every one of the five times I did it nearly every car passed me. This included two King County Sheriff vehicles and at least three Washington State Patrol cars. Interesting, even the people charged with enforcing speed laws don't follow them. More to the point, speed laws are more a revenue generator than a safety measure. Granted and agreed speeding at 30 miles over the limit on any road, including highways and freeways, is dangerous and stupid. But, getting a ticket for 10 miles over on the freeway is a waste of time for both officer and lawbreaker.

My point here is that speed is not enough of an issue on the freeways to enforce unless it is a gross violation. On local city streets this is another matter, but please understand I am confining this discussion to freeway traffic. After pacing a number of vehicles over a week I found the average commute speed is between 69 and 71 miles per hour. Some people went much faster and few went a bit slower. Perhaps one in twenty cars went the speed limit. Since the traffic all moved at roughly the same speed, I fail to see the danger of a person going 70 miles an hour. However, I clearly see the danger of people driving like idiots. This is what I would like to see controlled.

People drive like they are the only person on the road. Have any of you even heard of the words "following distance?" Fewer drivers, but still a scary number, seem to enjoy playing a game of motor vehicle Frogger as they cross all the lanes of the freeway in one fell swoop, cutting off others as they aim for the "fastest" lane. The scariest of these miscreants are those who prefer to take their Yugo to maximum velocity while weaving in and out of traffic anywhere there is an extra foot of room.

Today, on the way to work, I was passed at nearly 85 miles an hour by a man in an extended cab Dodge truck that had been raised at least 6 inches or more from stock height. This is inexcusable. He proceeded to cut me off allowing barely 10 feet of distance between his truck and my front bumper. Then he began weaving like a maniac in and out of lanes as fast as his truck could go. Two people had to slam on their brakes to avoid him. Hello, your car was not made to do this kind of thing and I doubt highly that you are trained in that form of driving plus you are risking your life and that of others who have no choice in the matter so STOP!

A couple months ago I followed another one of these wonderful people. He was driving his rickety Geo Sprint with two kids and his wife at over 80 miles an hour and weaving in and out of just about every lane on the freeway. I saw him cut off dozens of cars. He slammed on his brakes at least three times narrowly missing hitting the car ahead of him. These are the people who need to be pulled over and flogged. They a danger to society. This is NOT the kind of driver you want to be. Emphasize tickets for this type of behavior and worry less about speed. Speed does NOT kill by itself—recklessness does.

We should stop worrying so much about speeders and start worrying about people who drive like idiots. When friends and family members drive like a moron, tell them what they are doing. Now, don't do it every time. But, if you see a pattern, bring it up to them. Also, be honest with yourself. Will taking 5 minutes more to get somewhere make that much difference? If it does then you should be leaving earlier.

Remember, just because someone is going 10 miles over the speed limit does not make him a danger. Riding someone's bumper and cutting in and out of traffic does.