Platform : Freeway Driving: Is It Getting Worse?

JOHN RAYMOND

Regional manager, field office division, Department of Motor Vehicles, Ventura and Los Angeles counties

I think the thing to approach in the future would be the attitude of the driver and patience. A lot of people get frustrated because of traffic. They do a lot of strange things when they’re late for appointments or work. One of the areas we’re looking at for the future is how to communicate to the public about safe driving practices. It’s a cooperative effort with law enforcement, the DMV, Caltrans and Highway Patrol, all trying to make an impact on everyday driving habits. We try to assimilate everyone into one safe driving public. It’s a good challenge.

BILL KEENE

Retired traffic reporter,

KNX News Radio

If you could put blinders on every freeway driver so they could look straight ahead, I think you’d improve traffic by about 200%. It doesn’t take anything to cause a major slowdown. One of the greatest inventions, I think, is the glare screens they’re putting up in the center dividers. They put them up so the headlights don’t bother you at night. But you also can’t see the oncoming traffic. That helps immeasurably because people are watching what’s going on on the other side of the road instead of their own. They look over and see something happen on the other side and they’re not watching their own driving and pretty soon you’ve got an accident on their side. Anything you can do to cut down the gawkers. I think our drivers’ tests are woefully inadequate.

In order to get a driver’s license you should have to do a lot more than just show them you know how to drive around the block. You should be forced to demonstrate that you know the rules of the road on the freeways, what to do if you have trouble and if you show any inclination not to be a polite driver, I don’t think they should even give you a driver’s license. The Golden Rule has to be part of the driver’s license test. Southern California drivers are the best in the world. I used to sign off with, “A little bit of courtesy goes a long way.” I got tired of repeating it and I stopped, but I’m sorry I did. That should be repeated all the time. Road courtesy is the key to the whole thing.

KAMLESH SHAH

Accountant, independent contractor, Northridge

I immigrated here from India, and I started driving here about two years ago. Driving here is easier than in India because I find most people observe the traffic rules and are conscientious about rules and regulations. The road conditions are much better. I started freeway driving late because I was afraid of it. It is easier than street driving, but I think the speed needs to be increased to ease traffic conditions. But there are certain problems with the freeways. There is not always enough room to change freeways, because often there is not enough warning that the freeway is changing. For example, downtown there are three freeways merging and it is quite confusing. Signboards should be more clear and there should be uniformity. Freeway signs will sometimes say only a city name; sometimes it will say north or south. I also think that offenders should be penalized more for, say, drunk driving and speeding. I think they should suspend the license forever because it involves the lives of other people.

LOYD SIGMON

Father of the term “SigAlert”

The SigAlert was started on Labor Day, 1955. At that time, I was one of the owners of KMPC and looking for ways to get more listeners to the station. At that time, the radio and TV stations did not monitor the radio broadcasts of the Police Department. I came up with the idea that if the Police Department would press a button at the communications center, we could get a traffic report directly over the air. (LAPD) Chief Parker said we could start the system if there were six stations or more. The first big SigAlert alerted these stations that there was a train wreck just going out of Union Station. A passenger train had turned over on its side. They put out a SigAlert for all the doctors and nurses available. It so happened they created a traffic jam with all the doctors, nurses and people wanting to see the accident. Once we had it working, the LAPD communications center said it reduced traffic (tieups) by almost 70%. They now use SigAlert mainly for major accidents that tie up traffic for over 30 minutes.

We have too much traffic now, and not enough freeways to take care of it. (Courtesy) starts in the home. There is so little courtesy left on the highways.

CANDY LUNA

Perfume company business manager at Glendale Nordstroms

I’ve been commuting from Lake Los Angeles (near Palmdale) for about 3 1/2 years. It takes about 25 minutes to get to the freeway, then there is a line for the freeway on-ramp even at 5:30 in the morning. They haven’t expanded the freeway even though it’s grown so much out here. One change I have noticed is that people have bought smaller cars that get better gas mileage. I don’t notice many people car-pooling, though. If Metrolink were out here, I’d ride that. I could do paper work. I hate the commute. If I had my choice I would tell people, “Don’t do it.” I like my home and that it’s less expensive out here to buy a home. So for that we sacrifice. But I wouldn’t do it again. I get very sleepy when I drive alone. When I get to work I’m a little more irritable. I think it would help the commute if more people did car-pool. The driver would have someone to talk to and it might make them less anxious and relax them a little more.

JILL ANGEL

Traffic reporter, KNX News Radio, retired California Highway Patrol officer

The commute’s gotten longer. So many people commute because they can’t afford to buy (a home) in town. Out in the Inland Empire you can find gridlock at 5 in the morning. That was unheard of 10 years ago. It’s become a lot more miserable. It’s also become our way of life. If you want to work in L.A. and live in Southern California you just kind of accept the fact that that’s what you have to deal with. In the Highway Patrol, we see our greatest number of incidents of highway violence in the summer months, in terms of physical altercations, fights that break out on the freeway, rock-throwing, brandishing weapons. People get a little fender-bender accident and all of a sudden they’re throwing punches.

Based on my experience in law enforcement, a lot of it is due to the increased congestion, the hot weather, the increase in smog; people become more irritable and tempers flare. People should leave early, to allow enough time to get where they’re going. If people could just organize themselves, get up earlier, leave on time and prepare better, they would be calmer. They’re going to drive better and tend to be more courteous with other people. We’re all in this together.