Manners Matter: Reckless Driving Makes for Dangerous Conditions

Dear Mary Pat,

I live in a condominium development that is particularly busy during holiday weekends. We have a lot of renters and second homeowners who come up on weekends, which makes for a lot of traffic in our otherwise relatively quiet neighborhood. With the Fourth of July weekend, it was exceptionally busy. My friend and I were taking an evening walk and this woman came flying at us in her SUV even though there are 10 MPH signs posted everywhere. We motioned to her to slow down and she thought we wanted to talk to her, so she stopped and rolled her window down. My friend said to her “Please slow down,” and she said, “Oh, ok, I will,” and then quickly sped away till she reached her driveway two houses down. There are so many people walking their dogs at night and people coming and going to the pool at all hours, particularly little children. I guess I don’t have a question really (other than why are people so careless?) but I’m hoping you can just address this issue since I’m sure it happens all over the county.

Signed,

Slow and Steady Wins the Race (And Doesn’t Get Anyone Run Over)

Fish Creek, Wis.

Dear Slow and Steady Wins the Race,

People can be careless, reckless and oblivious. None of these qualities is safe while driving. I know I answer a lot of questions on this subject, but since it concerns safety and I personally witness dozens of examples of crazy driving on any given day, we are going to go over the basics again for visitors and locals alike:

1. Slow down in residential areas. So simple.
2. Don’t text and drive. Ever.
3. You are meant to stay between the lines, always. That means your car must stay between the lines at all times. You can’t cross the centerline just because you are coming around the curve near the Door Community Auditorium too fast and you didn’t gauge it right. And you can’t ride the shoulder since people may be cycling or walking. And if you’re coming over the centerline because you’re sending a text, you are reckless and should start putting your cell phone in your trunk if you can’t resist the urge to text and drive.
4. Read the speed limit signs. If you are driving in a 55 MPH zone and are driving 28, it is highly likely that you aren’t paying attention to the signs on the road. Going too slow can cause as many problems as driving too fast.
5. Roundabouts are here. Learn how to use them.
6. Park in designated spaces. When there are signs that say “Parking for …only,” that is a private parking lot. Don’t park on someone’s lawn or in a business that is closed just because it is more convenient. Find a legal parking space even if it means walking an extra block or two.
7. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. There really isn’t an excuse for not knowing this since there are visible signs in many crosswalks.
8. Bicycles must follow the same rules as cars. This means stopping at intersections, not driving on sidewalks, driving with traffic, etc.
9. You can’t change lanes without looking. Just because you realize that you are in the wrong lane at the base of the Fish Creek hill, that doesn’t mean you can switch to the right lane without looking, without indicating, without thinking.
10. Don’t turn without using your turn signal. Pretty basic and obvious, but a reminder is needed nonetheless. You also can’t stop in the middle of the road to check out a sunset or to talk to your neighbor. Pull over (after using your signal to let the driver behind you know what is going on) so you don’t cause an unnecessary traffic jam or a fender bender.
11. Don’t booze and cruise. No drinking and driving! Designate a driver.

Good luck,

Mary Pat