Where'd the safe drivers go?

Randy Mitchell Staff Writer

May 01, 2008 11:49 am

— Have you ever had some knucklehead pull out in front of you and wished you could gripe about all the bad driving you see day in and day out? Well here we go. Someone suggested I do a story on all the bad drivers in Ada. The truth is, there are bad drivers everywhere.
Being a reporter, I know there are many accidents in Ada and Pontotoc County on a daily basis. Most are minor and some are not reported to authorities at all. People exchange information, someone crashes into a ditch and is able to get out on their own, etc.
Everyday, I see at least one intellectually challenged individual with a cell phone pressed to their ear do something stupid with a car. The number one cause of car wrecks is driver inattention. Someone is flapping their gums to the passenger, fidgeting with the car’s controls, yacking on a cell phone or my favorite, putting on make up.
Here is one example. Last week, I was driving west on Main Street. As I approached the western edge of downtown, a person leaving a parking lot made an illegal left turn in front of me and I had to slam on the brakes.
The parking lot in question is on Main Street. There is a sign there with an arrow that starts pointing to the sky, then turns sharply to the east surrounded by a circle with a huge red slash through it!
This sign is intended so that even a child can understand it means no left turn. I take driving very seriously so I am aware of the potential problem before me. As I near this person’s vehicle, I can see the driver’s head is cranked real hard to the west.
I came to the conclusion that this person will then look toward the east and see me, then wait to break the law. WRONG! As soon as the coast was clear to the west, she gunned it! She did not look to her left at all. I am going 25 mph and must stand on my brakes to keep from hitting her.
She eventually looked up and with wide eyes, waved her hand and mouths the words sorry, twice. I missed her car by about two feet. My vehicle shook and shuttered in my desperate attempt to avoid the “accident,” and my anti-lock brakes made more noise than grandpa getting up from his recliner.
That is just one of many near misses I see everyday. I have never had a car wreck and from what I have witnessed in my lifetime, would like it to stay that way.
I know someone who has been in more than 10 car wrecks and is younger than I am! He has totaled four vehicles. The majority of time he has been issued citations for these “accidents.” To listen to this person drone on and on about how it isn’t fair he keeps getting all the tickets is enough to drive a person over the edge.
Drivers everywhere need a wake up call. Pay attention to what’s going on around you when you are driving! Get your head out of your cell phone and drive!