@7. Editorial :We recently witnessed an Everett police officer driving on I-5, obeying all rules of the road, but obviously in a hurry to get from north Everett to south Everett. Toward that end, he moved his patrol car into the left lane. A couple of drivers in the left lane chose at that time to move to the center lane, since it was clear the officer wanted to pass. Traffic was moderate; people had room to change lanes.
And then the officer came up behind that scourge of the road — the minivan that would not move. Obviously the people within were oblivious. Yes — plural passengers. Sure, they could have been happily, legally motoring in the HOV lane. But why, when you can back up traffic and create a tense moment on a lovely weekend afternoon. After a few maddening moments, the officer passed the vehicle by moving into the HOV lane and back into the left.
Ah, the Freeway Follies. A rollicking romp down 1-5, with multiple, daily encore performances. It starts out all lighthearted but quickly turns dark, the lyrics unprintable.
It’s not a city police officer’s job to pull someone over on I-5 and educate them about the “Keep right except to pass” law. But we sure wanted him to. We wanted a heart-jolting siren and lights to inspire that driver to look into his rearview mirror for the first time in his life. We dream.
That’s what the Washington State Patrol (and the rest of us) is up against as it attempts to keep people from camping out in the left lane.
The minivan driver was “awareness impaired,” as opposed to another left lane hazard — those who have appointed themselves freeway speed monitors and try to dictate the pace of traffic by refusing to move to the right when someone wants to pass. They are in control. We trust, however, that no matter how dedicated they are to their task, the freeway gatekeepers would move over if a law enforcement officer was behind them in the left lane.
Some drivers don’t deserve courtesy but common sense (and the law) say you should move over anyway. When a speed freak going 85 suddenly appears inches from your bumper, you don’t move over out of politeness, but self-preservation. It does not mean that you condone speeding. Just as camping out in the left lane doesn’t discourage the speeder’s speeding. It’s a safety issue.
Oh, and since we’re being all law-abiding, go ahead and use your blinker when making those lane changes.
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