Editor, The Smithfield Times:

During this time of year, traffic on the roads increases dramatically, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. 

With school starting back, many drivers who may have been used to summer driving conditions, with no hurry to get anywhere, may not be used to the expectations and requirements of commuters going to work. To that end let’s review some of the driving courtesies that need to be followed when driving during these times. 

When traveling on a four-lane divided highway, especially on the James River Bridge, if the road ahead is clear and you are not passing someone then you need to be in the right lane. This allows faster traffic to pass on the left and provides an orderly flow of traffic. This is regardless of the speed of traffic. 

If you believe it is your duty to make the cars around you follow what you believe is the proper speed then please consider joining the police department. They have vehicles that have calibrated speedometers and are paid to enforce the speed laws. It is very likely that your speedometer is not calibrated and therefore it is not your duty to make sure that the traffic around you is going the speed that you believe it should be by driving slowly in the left lane. This causes cars to stack up behind and people to pass on the right. This creates unsafe driving maneuvers to get around slower moving cars and is dangerous for everyone. 

If these simple rules are followed everyone will get to work in a safe and timely manner and with much less frustration.

 

Keith Armstrong

Smithfield