Slow down, seriously

Our View. By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.

I haven’t written a lot of editorials lately, but after driving (very infrequently) these past few days I just have to say something: Slow down! Seriously folks, this is Michigan in the winter and we are experiencing near-zero degree temperatures. This means that many roads are not only drifted over but those that are clear are most likely icy. Your 4-wheel-drive vehicle will do nothing for you on icy roads.

I don’t really know what the right speed is in these conditions. I pretty much maintained 40 mph on U.S. 10 between Scottville and Ludington. Guess what? I still made it to my destination in a reasonable amount of time. But, all the while, I was being passed by pickups cruising at 60-plus mph and also being followed by people who really are driving too close between vehicles. Wonder why there are so many rear-end crashes?

While at a crash on Stiles Road — the major thoroughfare to West Shore Community College — I couldn’t help but notice the amount of drivers who decided that 30 mph or faster was safe traveling through an emergency zone on a narrow road. Really, slow down!