Traffic Violations

Although I know it will do no good, I am compelled by my feelings and years of experience as a former traffic attorney in another state to write about the driving I see here in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

There is only one driving skill, apparently, in Southern California: to get ahead of everyone else and stay there.

The violations I see all around me every day testify to the cause of the many fatal collisions (they are not “accidents”).

For the most obvious, there are too many speeders; too many who simply will not wait behind anyone . Other violations are opening car doors without looking to see if any traffic is coming and backing up without looking for pedestrians. Drivers should be aware that hitting someone while moving backward is just as serious a violation as hitting someone while moving forward.

Above all, the most prevalent and dangerous violation is tailgating. However, the vulgar lack of courtesy is all-prevailing. Whenever I try to wait so someone could get out of a cross street or let someone out of a blind end, I get yelled at or something.

If traffic does not reform before the year 2000, we will have twice the cars on the road that we have now--and maybe eight times the fatal collisions!

EDITH L. JAMES

Santa Ana