The message is clear: Obey traffic laws

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on us in more ways than one. Not only do we have to worry about our livelihoods and catching the virus, but it’s taken many Americans to what was, perhaps, an early grave.

It’s not the only thing affecting Antelope Valley residents, though. Recently, it seems like there’s a new story on A1 of the Antelope Valley Press each day, telling us about someone who died in a fatal crash.

According to a news release from the California Highway Patrol Antelope Valley Antelope Valley office, 41 people have died, so far, this year. The majority of those have been the result of collisions — either vehicle versus vehicle or vehicle versus pedestrian.

We’ve addressed the issues of distracted driving and speed in prior opinion columns; however, it seems the problems are getting worse. It’s not uncommon to tra

So far, this year, 41 people have died in the Antelope Valley as a result of traffic collisions.

verse the 14 Freeway at 65 mph and get passed by a line of vehicles that are traveling much faster.

We all know the consequences of speeding and on a freeway, where there is such a high volume of traffic, there is little room for error if we suddenly have to stop or swerve.

A couple of fatalities have recently occurred on Pearblossom Highway. Anyone who’s driven that stretch will tell you it’s like being on a racetrack. Some of those folks seem to think they’re at Talladega Superspeedway. Running stop signs seems to be the common theme in collisions on that road.

It’s not surprising.

So what can we do to avoid a deadly collision? For starters, we can pay attention to our surroundings and stop at stop signs and red lights. We can also slow down.

“You can help us prevent these senseless deaths by obeying all traffic signs and signals, obeying the speed limit, not driving or walking impaired and always wearing your seatbelt,” the CHP news release said.