APD to Ticket More Bad Drivers
AUSTIN -- Austin Police will soon start an initiative to ticket drivers for common violations in an effort to change Austin's driving culture. Starting Monday, police will be focusing on highways to write tickets for violations such as following too closely and failing to signal.
Starting yesterday, Oct. 1, Austin Police are on the lookout for tailgaters and people not using their turn signals on IH-35. They are going to make a fortune, I tell ya. Austin drivers are not exactly known for their driving prowess. In this land of little rain, just let a good rain shower come along, and you'll see what I mean.
For the record, I faithfully use my turn signal. That's one habit I acquired pretty quickly after moving out here. Texas is a big state, and it has only 1 interstate that spans the entire length of the state - and that's IH-35 (they instist on including the "H" for interstate highway out here). There is a lot of heavy traffic on that interstate all the time, so you have to drive like it. Using your signal is a requirement, or else you're going to trade paint out there.
Y'all know I grew up in Mississippi, and people there believe that the turn signal is an unnecessary technological advancement. The only time I ever used my signal was when I was taking Driver's Ed the summer before 9th grade. After we got out of that class, we all knew that nobody around town used their signal, it would never be required of us again. In a place where you recognize everybody's vehicles and know where they are driving, you don't need to have a signal to tell you that Mrs. Abbott will be turning down Azalea Drive (well, now she lives on Cherry Drive, since they moved a few years back).
The one car accident that I had with major car-to-car contact, happened largely because I failed to use my left turn signal. It happened one day after school, I gave a ride to my friend Kerri (10th grade) - who had just had a fight with her boyfriend Stephen (8th grade). I was driving Kerri home, and Stephen (no license) was following us in his car. I slowed down to turn left (no signal), and Stephen pulled up beside me on the left/driver's side, presumably to argue with Kerri some more. I didn't see him, so I turned left into his car (his mama's Lincoln). While my failure to signal probably contributed somewhat to the accident, there's no doubt that Stephen's extreme idiocy was the primary cause. His mom was not very happy about having to pay that much to fix my little Chevy Chevette.
So while I am a convert to the world of those who used their turn signals, I know I am in danger of contributing to this fortune the APD will make - because I am a tailgater. Supposedly, APD got a grant for new radar equipment that records speed of 2 cars, distance and time between them. Yikes. However, Texas law isn't precise when it comes to following too closely. It merely says "drivers should maintain enough space to avoid colliding with other vehicles, factoring in speed and road conditions when they make that determination." In Driver's Ed, we learned some complicated formula of leaving 1 car length per 10mph that you're traveling - but now I think they go with the 2 second rule instead. That seems much easier to me. I hope I can break my old habit.
1 comment:
I've always been very good about using my turn signals. It really pisses me off when people don't. And I try to avoid tailgating, although driving on the Interstate often makes that impossible. If there is a space big enough to meet the required space goal, then some dumb ass will squeeze into it.
Speaking of Interstate driving, the thing that really makes me crazy is that no one seems to understand anymore that merging from an on-ramp is not some sort of right. There is a big sign that says "Merge." Most don't even bother to check to see if they have a clear space. They just slide in and cause all sorts of traffic dangers. That's when my road rage acts up.
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