YOUR CONTINUING discussion about space between cars is taking up its fair share of space.
"Yet another reason for ample spacing of cars at lights (or anywhere in between where traffic is stopped): It allows drivers room to move out of the way of emergency vehicles. This is especially true on city streets where maneuvering space is limited," said Les Leister, who is from Baltimore.
That's probably the best reason I've heard. But here's another good reason to allow a lot of extra space on occasion.
Michele Mellott of Annapolis recounts one scary event where the space she allowed in front of her saved her life.
"If anyone's ever ridden on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one quickly realizes a few things: The speed limit is 55 mph but rarely do you find anyone driving it; the road is hilly and full of twists, offering limited visibility; and it's perpetually under construction," she said. Mellot was driving on the turnpike from the Washington area to Pittsburgh, where she was living at the time. Before a bend around a large hill, she saw a Pennsylvania state trooper warning drivers to slow down because of bridge construction around the next bend.
"I slowed down; however, I looked into my rearview mirror and came to the horrifying realization that the 18-wheeler that had been cruising behind me was traveling too fast. Not knowing what else to do, I stopped short of the vehicle in front of me a number of yards hoping that if the truck rear-ended me, I would still come out alive," she said.
"Apparently I left enough space in front of me that at the last minute the trucker whipped around me into the space I allowed and my car was left undamaged. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for other vehicles. In the end, the rear of the camper directly in front of me was torn off, as the truck forced itself in between it and the space left by another car that moved out of the way just in time. The truck then barreled its way towards the jersey barrier and damaged the driver sides of two more eighteen-wheelers before coming to a complete stop," she said.
"When the state trooper arrived at the scene, he was ashen and visibly shaken. He looked relieved to see me, and the first words out of his mouth were, 'You are so lucky to be alive. I usually pull out bodies out of cars like yours.' We were all lucky that day - aside from being scared out of our wits, no one was hurt," she said.
And finally, John Snyder, who lives in Columbia, recalled lessons from his youth in Philadelphia.
"I actually leave a car length between me and the car in front as an escape route in case there is trouble. I recall that being recommended by the cops as a carjacking preventative. It's a street-smart thing I learned as a kid growing up in Philly. Mine was a bad neighborhood, anything could happen, so it was best to be able to bail out when the going got weird. The practice has stood me in good stead all these years and I understand it as a good thing when I see other drivers laying back a bit," he said.
'The Maryland Merge'
To yield or not to yield is proving to be controversial.
"I had to chuckle just a bit after reading the input from Seth Mann [in last week's column] about the yield sign at the top of the exit ramp to Long Gate Parkway from Route 100 west," said Ellicott City's Steve Clarkson, who notes that most Maryland drivers don't seem to know the meaning of "yield."
"Heck, most of 'em don't even know how to spell it. They view a triangular yellow sign as a challenge to force their way into through traffic at the earliest opportunity, often without even bothering to match the speed of the through traffic. It's a dangerous little game known as the 'Maryland Merge.'"
"I'd like to add that through drivers always have the right of way and persons merging into through traffic must yield to - to the uninitiated that means 'wait for' - drivers already on the road who wish to enter their lane. In situations such as that described by Mr. Mann, this gives the right of way to through drivers who wish to move into the new right lane of Long Gate Parkway created by the yield lane from Route 100."
Perhaps this area should be added to Howard County's worst-places-to-drive list. Clarkson observed, "It's a dangerous situation because many of those merging from westbound Route 100 are in a hurry to get into the left lane so they can use the Long Gate Shopping Center entrance about 100 yards up the road."
What's your traffic trauma? Contact Jody K. Vilschick at elison@us.net. Technophobes can mail letters to Traffic Talk, The Sun in Howard County, 5570 Sterrett Place, Suite 300, Columbia 21044.