Keeping Your Cool on Summer’s Overheated Highways

Time for Street Smart to kick it, lie back, take a little summertime snooze.

The SmartBomb is parked in the shade, the heat haze boiling off its weather-beaten hood as its engine cools from another long drive.

A tall, chilled fruit smoothie sits on sun-broiled grass, condensation trickling down the glass. Beside it is Street Smart himself, sprawled face-down in his postage-stamp-sized backyard in the furnace heat.

Summoning the last few ounces of his strength, he plucks a few stand-alone letters from the Street Smart mailbag, with readers’ warnings and reflections on the dangers and pleasures of summer vacation motoring.

Then he collapses again.

It’s so hot.

Dear Street Smart:

Several times in your column, you and your readers have dwelt on the subject of trucks and slow drivers blocking lanes and slowing traffic. It may be that these readers themselves are actually the cause of the slowing.

Whenever I am pulling my vacation trailer, I always time my departure so that it will not be during commute time.

Drivers should be aware that people pulling trailers may not exceed 55 mph even if the posted speed limit is 70 mph. We must travel in the slow lane except when passing another vehicle.

Sometimes the lane gives out and we must move left to the new slow lane. Our vehicles are equipped with oversized side view mirrors, but there are still blind spots and we may not see you. Please, give us a break and let us in.

Sometimes, a new right lane is added. We must move right then to the slow lane. Again, please give us a break and let us in so that we don’t block traffic. Another large blind spot is directly behind us. If you are tailgating and following at an unsafe distance, we don’t see you. Drop back and let us know that you are there.

When you enter the freeway, you should try to enter at freeway speed. Don’t move alongside of us until the entrance lane gives out. Remember, it is you who must yield. Either speed up and go ahead or slow down and drop in behind. It is easier for you to adjust your speed than it is for us.

If you remember these few things the next time you see someone pulling a trailer, it will make both of our trips easier and faster.

Alan L. Patten

Oxnard

Dear Reader:

You are so right. We hope the readers will pay close heed. Trailers don’t stop on a dime, and neither do they have eyes in their rear fenders. Give ‘em some room, folks.

Dear Street Smart:

“It doesn’t matter whether the rock hits the vase or the vase hits the rock, the vase loses.”

Every time I start off for a ride on my bicycle, I remind myself of this saying my father quoted to remind us to ride safely. For those who may wonder what he meant, it is that it won’t matter whether you are in the right or in the wrong. If you tangle with a motor vehicle, you are going to lose.

Although I agree wholeheartedly with your comments and I feel more of an effort should be made to raise drivers’ awareness of the dangerous position they sometimes place bicyclists in, bicyclists always have to be prepared to ride in an exceptionally defensive manner.

What I would like to know is, what recourse is available legally to the bicyclist who finds himself endangered--out of ignorance or actual malice--by such a driver?

John Snyder

Newbury Park

Dear Reader:

Cursing and gesturing may seem the most natural response. If, that is, the breath wasn’t slammed out of you and you still have unbroken limbs with which to gesture.

But there is a legal way to respond that is less likely to prompt the bad driver to circle the block and squash you again.

Try to remember the vehicle’s make, model, color and license number and make a report on the time, date and circumstances of the clash to the police agency that oversees traffic control there.

The police then will send out a warning letter to the car’s registered owner, describing your complaint (but leaving your name out of it) and cautioning the driver to be more careful.

The California Highway Patrol, for instance, sends out two to three such letters each week. They acknowledge that the method has some glitches: For one, the owner may not have been the driver. But that cuts both ways. It can single out a problem driver for bosses or parents who own the vehicle, and prompt some form of discipline.

Street Smart wants to remind all readers to please look out for bicyclists. From the 4-year-old Huffy rider just off her training wheels to the whippet-thin athlete astride his Colnago training for his next big race, bicyclists are everywhere this summer. Look twice before turning. The second time may save someone’s life and protect your insurance bills, driving record and conscience from irreparable damage.

Dear Street Smart:

Your June 30 column reminded me of a recent incident when I was in the same position as you were: I was on the 101 Fearway in the left lane at about 68 mph passing a somewhat sparsely spaced bunch of cars when, suddenly, one of those speed demons started riding on my bumper.

Eventually I got tired of the tail and decided the best way to get rid of it without getting involved in several unneeded lane changes was to slow down.

As expected, my tailer ducked into the next lane and passed me on the right. With only enough space to parallel park, he pulled right up to the next car in his lane, ducked back into my lane and zoomed ahead.

Just when I thought I was rid of him forever, a CHP unit came out of nowhere, maneuvered ahead, stopped him and I’m sure gave him a good talking-to. Instead of getting to his destination 10 seconds sooner than if he had driven safely, I’m sure he was delayed by a few minutes.

That restored my confidence that the CHP is really doing its job keeping the highways safe for the rest of us.

It’s got to be more realistic than your flying pile-driver. That’s a good idea, though.

Michael Pershing

Thousand Oaks

Dear Reader:

The pile-driver was a joke. The CHP never jokes.

It’s summer vacation time, dear readers, and we all need to be careful of drivers who may be drunk, distracted by kids in the back seat or just plain brainless.

Enjoy your time off, use plenty of sunscreen, drink plenty of water, don’t go swimming on a full stomach (just kidding, it’s a superstition) and, for God’s sake, be careful out there.

Class resumes next Monday morning, by which time Street Smart will have massaged the grass prints out of his forehead.

NEXT: Square pegs, round holes, no hammer big enough.

Peeved? Baffled? Miffed? Or merely perplexed? Street Smart answers your most probing questions about the joys and horrors of driving around Ventura County. Write to: Street Smart, c/o Mack Reed, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Include a simple sketch if needed to help explain. E-mail us at Mack.Reed@latimes.com or call our Sound Off line, 653-7546. In any case, include your full name, address, and day and evening phone numbers. Street Smart cannot answer anonymous queries and might edit your letter.