More drivers vent about Bulloch Drive

The Lane Ranger
Published: August 10, 2008

Regarding the ongoing debate about Bulloch Drive and Sudley Road….

The [Prince William] County police have had enforcement sweeps there. However, several of the district court judges have not been convicting, sympathizing with the cited drivers that the signage is "confusing."

Also, the deterrent value of enforcement en-masse, as you suggest, is not so great at a location such as this. This plaza is patronized by a lot of out-of-towners. They 1) are perhaps not as aware of the signage and what it all means (although I would argue they should be able to); and 2) word about strict police enforcement doesn't reach them. In other words, it's largely a new audience at that location every day.

Greg

Manassas area

A note from the Lane Ranger: Greg wasn't the only one who responded to last week's column about the infamous intersection. A handful of readers inserted their own 2 cents on the topic—including other troublesome intersections in Prince William—at http://www.InsideNoVA.com and a couple even confessed to their former, misguided ways. The following are some of those responses:

I feel like an idiot. I am one of those people who turn right on red at Bulloch Drive (but I don't jump in front of people). I usually notice road signs and I can honestly say I have not noticed that sign before. Thank you, whoever wrote in about this. I really had no idea, and now I won't do it anymore.

I drive down that way all the time with my kids, I hate it when the people WHO CANNOT READ THE SIGNS cut me off. I have been forced into the other lane. I'm not doing it anymore. I pity the person who hits me with my kids in the car with me. I will take them for everything they have. The only thing they may afford after I'm done with them may be a used bike. It needs to be fixed and fixed now. I have talked to some of the police officers and they cannot be there all the time to baby-sit the ones who can't read. Yes I think maybe every now and then have an officer out there, but it's the drivers who have to do something about this problem (The ones who think they can do anything). Someone is going to get hurt. So please people, learn to read or stay off the road.

I will admit, I have gone from that famous right lane and cut in front of others. I choose not to do so anymore because I did almost hit someone. Maybe VDOT should put up a line or several of those thin plastic pipes as a barrier. They did it at one point in front of the Home Depot in Manassas Park because people were turning left out of the lower end of the parking lot onto Liberia. I think the reason they have not put a barrier of any sort is because they know it happens and it is not enforced. Put up a barrier and let people get on 66 in traffic and have to go to the parkway to cut back a few times, and they will learn.

EXPENSIVE GAS SAVES LIVES

Motorists cutting back on the mileage they put on America's roads might save some money and lives.

Four of the deadliest days on the nation's roads fall in the month's recent days, but it might be prudent to be particularly cautious during what has historically been one of the most dangerous months to be on the road.

According to a Federal Highway Administration study analyzed the period between 1995 and 2005, Aug. 3, 4, 6, and 10 ranked among the 10 deadliest days on our nation's roads with average deaths per day that ranged from 137 to 140, according to a AAA Mid-Atlantic press release.

August has historically had a high death toll in part because it is when the summer vacation period hits its peak, putting more motorists and their families on the road, the release states.

"The earlier start of the academic is having an impact on when families take their final summer vacations, and as a result, more people are traveling in the deadliest period of the year. However, this August may not be as deadly, as we are seeing a trend of motorists cutting back on their driving due to higher gas prices," said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic's manager of public and government affairs, in the release.

But as "vehicle miles of travel" decrease across the nation and region, the AAA (and the Lane Ranger) hopes that the number of traffic fatalities for the month drops too.

How to help stranded motorist

The Lane Ranger has watched plenty of movies to know that at any given point there could be someone waiting to kill me. That's just one of the reasons the Lane Ranger does not pull over to help ANY stranded motorists, no matter how unthreatening they look (you've seen "The Hitcher," haven't you?)

I must admit that I feel like kind of a jerk doing that.

But if you're as gutless as I am, what do you do? Assume the person has a charged cell phone, AAA and/or someone who can pick them up?

It begs the question, what exactly is the proper etiquette for handling stranded motorists in this people-wary era?

So I turned to Prince William County police spokeswoman Officer Erika Hernandez, who said, "Call the [police] non-emergency number." (That, by the way, is 703-792-6500 in Prince William; 703-257-8000 in Manassas City; and 703-361-1136 in Manassas Park.)

"It's unpredictable," Hernandez later explained of stopping to help a stranger. "Some people are legitimately stranded [and] although I've never seen a report [in Prince William] of anyone getting victimized for stopping to assist someone, my best advice is to contact police."

If you happen to be of braver stock than the Lane Ranger, Hernandez advises that before getting out of your car to offer any help that you: make sure you know exactly where you are; write down the license plate number of the vehicle that is stopped; and call someone to let them know what idiotic thing you are about to do (those are my words).

John B. Townsend II, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic's Washington office, pointed me to a news release that UK auto insurance company Direct Line issued in 2006.

While it speaks specifically to trends among British motorists, I think it applies quite well to at least western culture.

"Fear is causing the altruistic motorist to become a dying breed," the release states.

Here are a few other blurbs from that release:

"Six in 10 (62 percent) drivers would consider stopping and helping someone at the roadside but more than half (53 percent) of these 'charitable motorists' admit they're less likely to stop today and help a breakdown victim than they were 10 years ago….

"Close to three quarters (71 per cent) of 'charitable drivers' believe British people are more aggressive now than in 1996.  And among all drivers 31 per cent would never consider pulling-over to help a fellow driver in need, with more than half (59 percent) of these drivers believing it's just too risky to open their car doors to talk to strangers."

But I think Townsend put it best when he said that we would all rather choose to not have to depend on the kindness of strangers, but at some point in life we all have to.

"The rent we owe our fellow citizens is to at least extend the courtesy of [asking], 'Do you need me call anyone?' " Townsend said.

But that doesn't mean not to go with your gut instinct by putting yourself in a situation that doesn't seem safe.

Besides, you might end up just getting turned down anyway.

Also, being cautious certainly works both ways, Townsend pointed out.

So, to be fair, some advice for those who land on the other side of the quandary: If you're broken down and someone asks if you need a tow and you ask how they're going to pull that off and (here, I'm borrowing from a fascinating story shared by Townsend) that person says in a raspy voice "I got a rope" and gives you a crooked smile, you might want to consider politely passing.

Please send questions or comments on roads, rail and transit to: Lane Ranger, c/o Potomac News, P.O. Box 2470, Woodbridge, VA 22195; e-mail:  .