Courtesy seems to be in driver's seat for now

DR. DELAY Jean Heller E-mail: Click here

By JEAN HELLER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 23, 2001

Has anybody else noticed that since the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., highway traffic seems to have slowed down a little bit around here?

We aren't seeing as many people driving as recklessly. When we are maintaining the speed limit, we aren't passed nearly as often. And people seem to be more courteous on the roads.

It isn't true of everyone, of course. But a lot of people seem to have developed a little more respect for the lives and rights of others.

We just thought we'd mention it.

We are not, however, so naive as to think it will last.

Way back on Sept. 7, many of you might have noticed the photo of the 14-month-old Siberian tiger on the front page of this newspaper. The 200-pound animal, named Nen-Nen, is owned by the director of a wildlife rescue organization and rides around town with him, securely chained inside a white SUV.

Sometime before the photo's publication, we received an e-mail from Joann Carroll of St. Petersburg relating her encounter with the same tiger. It is amusing enough -- now that we know the truth about the tiger's existence -- that we thought you might enjoy hearing about it.

"Not quite able to believe my eyes at first, I saw a white SUV with a large tiger well advanced out the passenger window Monday afternoon," Carroll wrote. "There was a gusty, steady rain, which was apparently delighting this beautiful animal. With its face raised to catch the drops, it occasionally extended a massive paw to bat at the wetness.

"This unique sight was in the left lane as I followed south in the right lane from the bridge on Park Street through the left turn at Tyrone Boulevard. Then an interesting thing happened. The tiger SUV (TSUV) switched lanes, now in the lane in front of me. The very right lane ends as you approach Sports Authority and a van, coming from that lane, got a little too close to the TSUV.

"The tiger raised up and out further and smacked at the van just the way some unfriendly cat might smack poor Jessie's nose if annoyed by close proximity. The van veered back to the right and waited; the TSUV continued blissfully along; and my thought was, what an effective tool to punish reckless drivers at whom, up to now, you could only blow your horn."

Actually, Jessie would probably get along just fine with Nen-Nen. She has had cats of her own, a Himalayan named Maggie and a Siamese named Pita (it had nothing to do with bread; it was an acronym that stood for Pain in the you-know-what). Dog and cats were all best friends. On the other hand, these cats were slightly smaller than Nen-Nen.

We also heard from Kevin Mowrer, an officer with the traffic division of the St. Petersburg police. He is driven to distraction (which is just east of Jersey City) by a situation we can't fathom either.

Drivers heading east on Roosevelt Boulevard can get onto southbound Interstate 275 from either the center or right lane. But as soon as you get onto the ramp to the interstate, the right lane disappears to construction, and you have to squeeze back to the left, into what had been the center lane of Roosevelt.

So why do so many people fight to get out of the center lane and into the right lane in the first place, when they're just going to have to move back again?

"Daily, I observe drivers going to any extent to get over to that far right lane," Kevin said. "They will slow, stop or even force their way over to the far right lane. I have seen so many near-miss accidents it isn't funny. One day, a lady got so mad at me for not using the far right lane she followed me to work and confronted me in the parking lot. ... She accused me of covering up my mistake and using my badge as a way to break the law."

Jessie agrees that this is nuts. Everybody knows, or should know, that the more lane changes you make, the greater the odds of an accident. So stay in the center lane on Roosevelt. You will make a much easier and safer entrance onto the interstate.

It might help if the state roadies could round up some of those orange and white barrels and block off the extreme right lane of Roosevelt as it approaches the interstate. Wouldn't cost much, either.

And now, at long last, it is time for the Eyeball Jiggler of the Week, that fun-loving look at all the road hazards that threaten your cars and your bridgework.

The winner this week is the ripped-up pavement in the right-turn lane from eastbound 38th Avenue N onto southbound Fourth Street.

If you take that turn with a little extra speed to make the light, it will bounce your pupils off your eyebrows.

Fair warning.

Finally, Dr. Delay's Terrible Traffic Tidbits of the Week:

The good news: The percentage of traffic fatalities nationwide involving alcohol declined from 57 percent in 1982 to 38 percent in 2000, still way too high but at least moving in the right direction.

The bad news: In 1999, 92,000 motor vehicle crashes, 90,000 injuries and about 950 deaths were attributed to red light running. We mention this only because the citizens of Pinellas County seem hellbent on making ours the red-light-running capital of the known universe.

- Dr. Delay can be reached by e-mail at docdelay@sptimes.com, by fax at (727) 893-8675 or by snail mail at 490 First Ave., S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

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