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Editorial
Drive with care, at least until the robots take over
Thursday, April 30, 2015
More and more of the driving skills we used to learn are becoming irrelevant, with front-wheel drive, traction control, antilock braking, collision avoidance, parallel parking and even navigation being taken over by our cars themselves.
It's a scary thought, but we'll all be leaving the driving to a silicon chip one of these days.
On the other hand, watch a few of the dash-cam traffic crash videos on YouTube and you'll be glad to see an unemotional algorithm take control of our transportation. Dashcams are common in places like Russia, where they play an important part in crash settlements, and are likely to become common in this country as well.
Maybe you saw the videos (http://bit.ly/1I0KOKU) from Dallas this week, where authorities installed cameras on school buses to catch drivers who speed by buses with extended stopsigns while children are loading or unloading.
Especially frightening was a video of an SUV speeding between the open doors of a school bus and a group of children trying to board.
Thankfully, those children weren't injured, but a reward is being offered to find the driver of the SUV.
We're sure local bus drivers have many tales of drivers ignoring the stop signs and flashing lights while small children try to make their way to or from school.
Just a reminder. Flashing lights and an extended stop sign mean traffic in both directions must stop until the children are safely out of danger.
School will be over soon, of course, but that doesn't mean car and truck drivers can take a break from driving safely. Drivers are reminded to take special care to watch out for motorcyclists on these nice spring days, and even more for bicyclists, who are even easier to miss.
Bicyclists are a common sight on Southwest Nebraska highways, and the annual Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska, which starts in Wauneta this summer, makes it even more import for drivers to be aware.
Some 600 BRAN riders plus about that many in families and support staff will be riding through our area starting Sunday, June 7, so let's all be on our best behavior and make them feel welcome.