Driven Mad: The slippery slope of lackadaisical road-rule observance
July 10th, 2009 by Tom Fairchild in News, Sarasota-Manatee
Driving past the Florida Highway Patrol depot yesterday I noted the place was chock-full of cruisers. It didn’t surprise me, because I imagine budget cuts mean fewer troopers, less money for gas and many fewer donuts.
Sorry, cheap gag.
We all know the cops get their donuts gratis for their toil in the community, and rightly so. They did agree to protect and serve, so we citizens should agree to protect their right to be served free coffee and donuts.
OK, I’ll stop now for real.
The downside of fewer law enforcers is the creeping disregard for road rules. Chronic red-light busting is a given. Rolling stop right turns don’t raise an eyebrow. Fifteen over the limit is the limit. It’s the same problem that Rudy Giuliani faced in New York City when he came into office: what was known as the broken window syndrome.
Left uncorrected, bad (and illegal) driving becomes the norm, leading to further erosion of respect for the law, at least that’s the theory.
My pet dislike is unrestrained loads. I’ve dodged enough ladders, mattresses, sectional sofas, paint buckets, drink coolers, pails, air compressors and other truck-bed detritus for a lifetime. I fear that the next tradesman’s tool to bounce from the back of his Silverado doing 90 mph will come straight through my windshield and kill me.
It nearly happened to Maria Federici.
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