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Shifting Gears: Bakersfield's Sorrow
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Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments In Northeast China, the Yangtze River flows from the Himalayas in the west across the plains of China and empties out into the ocean. The banks of this river have been built up over the years to as much as 200 feet. Imagine that, water 200 feet above you a mile wide. During flood season, the river even overflows those banks! A dangerous and deadly situation that has been dubbed "China's Sorrow."

Between 3 and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, it's flood season on Rosedale Highway –– "Bakersfield's Sorrow." Like it or not, Rosedale Highway is only going to get more crowded and dangerous and there is nothing that can or will be done about it.

Too many cars and not enough asphalt. This is the situation. Most of us in the Northwest use Rosedale Highway all the time. Let's recognize the dangerous nature of it and put the safe driving principles we know, but sometimes forget, into practice.

We are all in a hurry and we follow too closely. Remember your driver training class rule No. 1: one car length for every 10 MPH of speed. I sometimes leave maybe one car length at 50 MPH. With all those businesses with cars entering and exiting, we need to leave more room. Stop and think about the dynamics of the forces involved: steel cars piloted by distracted, stressed-out people coming home or going to work.

Has someone ever changed lanes in front of you abruptly and not used turn signals? You slam on your brakes and the guy following too closely to you rear ends you and then you plow into the guy who didn't use his turn signal. This scenario has played out scores of times on Rosedale Highway. Look into your rearview mirrors, click that turn signal, turn your head and THEN make that lane change. Basic stuff.

Way out west on Rosedale Highway when it turns into a two-lane bi-way is when Rosedale Highway gets really dangerous. At the intersection of Renfro Road and Rosedale Highway I've seen people actually pass cars on the right waiting to turn left. I've seen dead bodies at that intersection because of this practice. I believe this intersection, because of the volume of cars and the lack of asphalt, is the most dangerous intersection in the Northwest area. Be very careful here. When you come to this intersection, slow down, wait for left-turning traffic to do their thing, then proceed through the intersection safely.

Speed is another thing we don't think about enough. Yes, the speed limit is 55 MPH, but given the dangerous nature of this highway, do we really need to go 55 MPH? Let's slow down and watch out for the other guy.

Have you every seen four teenagers in a car on Rosedale Highway, going 60 MPH, all talking on cell phones during "flood season?" This is an extreme example, but talking on cell phones DOES distract drivers. Do yourself and other drivers a favor and turn off those cell phones until you get off Rosedale Highway.

Let's all try to remember 10th-grade driver's training and try to put those concepts into practice again, at least during "flood season" on "Bakersfield's Sorrow." We can all get to our destinations in one piece if we do the basic things.

Until next time, drive safe, have fun and happy motoring.

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