The roads have been emptier since the state lockdown began, But I’ve noticed something worrisome. The few cars that are on the road are traveling like the proverbial bats out of hell.
I noticed it over and over. It couldn’t just be our little country cutoff road.
Sure enough, the local fire chief has he’s noticed that everyone’s driving faster, too, though he said overall traffic accidents have gone down.
The driver of an Audi was picked up after being clocked at 142 m.p.h. on the Palisades Parkway in Ramapo. And today I heard a radio report that there’s a big uptick in traffic fatalities, mostly due to excess speed. Minnesota, Louisiana and Missouri are reporting those spikes, as drivers take advantage of empty roads to push the accelerator way down. Even in the U.K., more speeders and less traffic are being reported.
A few days ago, on my way down a two-lane country road, a pickup truck roared by me as I drove at the speed limit. There was a yellow double line. There was no way to see if there was oncoming traffic.
Two miles later, he pulled into the parking lot of the local golf club.
It’s surprising to me that local sheriffs aren’t cashing in on this potential bonanza. I have to wonder. What’s the rush?
There’s nowhere to go, anyway.
Read more installments of Village Voices by Susan Barnett.
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