Slow down and pay attention to the road
Acouple of weeks ago, the “Have Your Say” question asked community members whether they thought people in the Antelope Valley drive too fast/ recklessly.
Though only 32 people called in to answer the question, it was a unanimous “yes.” It would have been surprising to us if someone would have said no, but without a device to measure speed, it’s all about perception, as you’re out driving around.
We’ve addressed this situation before and shared some experienc- es traveling on the 14 Freeway (and surface streets), but it seems to be getting more deadly.
Capt. Ron Shaffer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Palmdale Station, has also addressed the excessive speed issues, as well as driving while distracted and other things that can lead to a deadly collision. In fact, earlier this month, he talked about speeding and crashes on his “Coffee with the Captain” event, streamed on Facebook.
He pointed out that the number of fatal crashes around the Antelope Valley has increased this year, compared to last. That’s not surprising, considering there have been a number of stories run in the Antelope Valley Press about fatal collisions. Sometimes they are vehicle vs. vehicle, other times they involve pedestrians and other times, motorcycle riders.
As licensed drivers, we all know the rules of the road — but whether we obey them is an entirely different topic. There are a number of issues with how drivers operate their vehicles (or motorcycles). Sometimes they don’t use turn signals, other times, they are either speeding or impeding traffic as they check their phones or try to text or are having a conversation.
Others tailgate, make illegal turns or just aren’t paying attention. Sometimes it feels like driving in the Antelope Valley is a test of patience, as those obeying the rules try to navigate streets filled with those who don’t care.
We can talk about the importance of good driving skills, ad nauseam, but that won’t change peoples’ behavior. We can only hope that the number of fatal incidents decreases.