Daily Occurrences

So, on my way into the office this morning, I see something that reminds me of a hot topic all over the United States.

Bicycles.  Now, I am not for or against bicycles.  Just like I am not for or against, cars or motorcycles or semis or pedestrians or towed vehicles, etc. 

I am for SHARING THE ROAD! 

No one person or type of vehicle is granted sole use of our roadways.  Therefore, the laws of those roadways.  Speed limits, right-of-way, stop signs apply to everyone using the roadways. 

If a bicyclist encounters a 4-way stop, they must adhere to the rule that whoever got there first has the right-of-way just as cars must.

Sooo, this morning, the bike stops (first), the car stops (second), the bike takes the right-of-way. Ok, this is good. Everyone is playing nice. The car decides they have enough time to go before the bike gets in front of them and, after a brief hesitation; (you could see them weighing the options, should I, shouldn't I, should I, shouldn't I) of course, they went!

I'll jump right to the end. No one was hurt. The bike did have to stop but, was, thankfully, experienced. You could tell they were expecting it.

This was a residential area. Heavily trafficked, none the less. What if it wasn't!? Think of all the intersections where you might encounter bicycles or pedestrians. What if they were a less experienced bicyclist?

Remember: once you yield the right-of-way, you can't change your mind until the other guy is clear of your path.

Drive well. Live long!

Pet Peeves

This is probably going to get pretty funny and I'll end up using a separate page just for these thoughts. But for now we'll just post here.

1. Why do people who are in a hurry use Comanche Road? It's a 35 mph, and sometimes 30 mph zone, with school zones all over the place! If you insist on doing 40-55 mph at 7:55am to get to work on time...GET UP EARLIER! Then, use Montgomery or Menaul (the ticket will be cheaper!)

A Little Background

Thank you for following me on my soapbox as I continue my lifelong career of creating safe, experienced drivers. I hope to grab your attention regarding the constant need to properly train our drivers. Both new, beginning drivers and current drivers. Proper instruction to the newbies creates lifelong habits of safe drivers. And reminders to experienced drivers who have become complacent and have developed bad habits is painfully evident every day that I am on the roadways.

I hope to comment weekly. Sometimes on the tragic events of the day. Sometimes on the funny. And always to the purpose of pointing out the wrong, but also the right things people do while driving each day.

When Albuquerque is strewn with orange barrels and heavy road construction seems indefinite, I'll try to provide pointers and tips to ease our pain.

Just like our classes, we'll try to have fun here. But remember, what we are dealing with each and every day is serious...deadly serious!