Keep Valley Safer; Show Respect Behind Wheel

I did an unusual thing the other day. I actually paid attention to my driving.

Yup. And I not only paid attention to what I was doing, but to what everybody else was doing behind the wheel, as well.

Be honest now. How often do you really pay attention while driving? As a former police officer, I can tell you with some certainty just how often most people really pay attention while behind the wheel. The answer is: Rarely, if ever.

So what does this mean to us, friends and neighbors?

It means that it is absolutely NUTSO on the roads here in the Spokane Valley.

Now, I have personally driven in Los Angeles, Seattle, even Mexico, and I can tell you without reservation that this community has a lot of really bad driving going on.

No insult intended, gang.

Just calling a shovel a shovel.

And I am not absolving myself of bad driving. After all, I grew up in Boston, where we learned early on that the best defense, driving-wise, was a good offense.

One of the primary things that helped me make the decision to live in the Valley was my belief that this is a nice community and that people here are really very friendly.

While that is true in general, it isn’t the case when we’re behind the wheel, folks. Here’s some of what I’ve observed:

Turning left from one arterial onto another can take forever. Part of the blame goes to the traffic engineers.

Now I have to ask, what BONEHEAD set the duration of that left-turn light from southbound Pines onto Sprague?

The light is green only long enough to allow maybe half of the cars in the turn lane to turn.

But bad drivers compound the problem. Invariably, among the first three people in line is someone who is talking on a cell phone, who isn’t in a hurry, or who simply didn’t notice that it was time to go. As such, only THEY get through the light and everyone behind them must wait through another traffic cycle.

Thanks much, folks.

Remember that Boston driving philosophy?

Seems like a lot of us have learned from that school.

Around the Valley, the average speed is about 10 to 15 miles an hour faster than the posted limit. You can go down Broadway at 40 mph and get passed like you’re standing still.

How about the people who live on that street? Have you noticed that senior citizens need to cross that street to get to their mailboxes?

I constantly see turns and lane changes without signals.

I see cars following WAY too closely. Do you know why there’s a 3-second following rule?

I see people in the left lane of the freeway, going 5 mph below the speed limit. Does the term “passing lane” mean anything to you?

I see the little trick, when entering the freeway, wherein the person behind you crosses the thick, solid white line (which, by the way, means DON’T CROSS THIS LINE!), gets onto the freeway, pulls alongside your car and then blocks you from merging smoothly into traffic.

HELLOOO!?!

So what’s the point?

The point is, the Valley is growing. Fast. With all these people on our roads, the Valley is starting to feel a bit like an overcrowded rat cage.

It’s time to take more care and show more courtesy behind the wheel.

Why is it that the same person who will gladly hold the door for you as you leave the mall will cut you off as you try to drive out of the parking lot?

We need to respect each other, even behind the wheel.

That’s a start toward making sure that the Valley keeps its heart as it grows.