Drivers throughout the area seem to becoming progressively worse during recent years. It appears the Department of Motor Vehicles may be putting complementary driver’s licenses in Crackerjack boxes for anyone who wants one.
The increase in poor driving is likely due to a culmination of many factors. Some people simply are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Some are aware of their wrongdoings and just do not care about the safety of others. Some may be new drivers who moved here from New York City and have never driven before. Regardless, many drivers seem to be oblivious to the rules of the road.
In recent months, there has been a significant trend of motorists driving with their high beams on with other vehicles around. This is illegal. Under state law, high beams must be turned off when there is oncoming traffic or vehicles traveling in front of the motorist. Not only is it rude, it also poses a serious safety risk. High beams directed toward the faces of oncoming drivers or into the mirrors of drivers ahead can severely hinder them from seeing. Unfortunately, many people who drive with their high beams on realize this but simply do not care. Eventually, they will do it to the wrong vehicle – a police car.
Water Street at the Newburgh Waterfront is turning into a parking lot rather than a thoroughfare. Drivers often stop in lanes of traffic and exit their vehicles to go inside and pick up their pizza or tacos. This causes a line of traffic to back up behind them, forcing other drivers to illegally enter oncoming traffic to maneuver around them. This is also illegal.
Doing the speed limit on local roads or highways is becoming a thing of the past. Drivers are either going dangerously slow or dangerously fast – there is no in between. Route 747 between Interstate 84 and Route 207 has turned into a high-speed race track. During the rush hour commutes, the flow of traffic can often reach 70-80 mph, although the speed limit is 55 mph on this undivided highway. With traffic in both directions reaching these speeds, one wrong move by either motorist could cause a head-on accident with a 160 mph impact. Other drivers on this road sometimes travel at 30 mph. The inconsistency of 70 mph traffic mingling with 30 mph traffic is a recipe for disaster.
Distracted driving due to cell phones remains a serious problem despite so many public awareness campaigns showing images of these accidents. Drivers are weaving all over the road as if they are drunk because they are texting. Most drivers realize this is dangerous for others, but not for themselves.
As traffic becomes more congested, more drivers are in a hurry. Speeding in neighborhoods and tailgating (oftentimes less than one car-length away) has become the norm.
The attitude of dangerous drivers is usually “it won’t happen to me” – until it happens to them.
Nobody wants to live in a police state. Local police officers are generally fair and give drivers verbal warnings when practical. The constant illegal actions by motorists as of late are likely to cause police to start issuing more traffic tickets. Drivers need to begin adjusting their misbehavior before the police do it for them.
