Driving has always been something I enjoy. You can hop in the car, turn on some tunes, hit the gas (or electric), and before long you have arrived at your destination.
In the past several years, however, I have noticed four driving rules that are being ignored.
Because of the lack of concern or ignorance of some drivers, people’s lives and property are being put at risk.
The biggest of the four are the drivers who are on their cell phones and not paying full attention. How many times have you pulled up behind traffic at a stop light and then after the light turned green, everyone goes except the car in front of you. Then, just in time for them, they take off through the intersection and the light turns yellow for you? This is frustrating, but even worse is the driver traveling down the highway and looking at their cell phone. It is not safe and has been the cause of an upsurge in traffic accidents.
The second, just as deadly if not worse, are those drivers who run red lights. People are either in a hurry to reach their destination or they just enjoy in some sick way breaking the law and continuing through the red light. At some point those types of drivers are going to misjudge the necessary time they have, and they will broadside another vehicle, possibly harming someone or taking a life.
The third is the inability of drivers to properly merge. Most of us who live and work in Newcastle know the worst possible place to misjudge a merge is when you are heading north on State Highway 62 and accessing the U.S. Interstate 44 on-ramp. There is little room for error here. There are times when the traffic on I-44 takes up both lanes. The merge area is short and there is little right-of-way, before the 32nd Street bridge. As well, some drivers break the law and cross the white line on the on-ramp and then hit the gas pedal, creating an additional worry for legally merging traffic. At one point State law stipulated that the highway traffic had the right of way; however, now it is my understanding that both the traffic and the merging driver are to be cognizant of each other. This should be a brother’s keeper move anyway. Let’s watch out for each other and help each other in the merge when possible.
The fourth is more of an Oklahoma City problem because of the roadway engineering, but there is an inability of some drivers, when they are at an intersection with two turn lanes to stay in their own lane. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost been sideswiped by a driver who was on the inside lane of a two-turn lane. Please know your roadways and be aware of a two-turn lane road, and understand that you must stay in your own lane.
Your knowledge, your care and your attention will go a long way in keeping yourself and the other drivers safe as you traverse Oklahoma roadways. It will keep me safe too, so I can enjoy the music, the scenery, and the time spent behind the wheel.
