We would surmise that most -- if not virtually all -- of our readers in Sacramento County and elsewhere across California are thoughtful, considerate and calm drivers.
That doesn't stop your blood from surging and heart from pounding, though, when some hyper-aggressive and out-of-control motorist beams in on your life summarily by making reckless and endangering movements within inches of your vehicle, does it?
As much as creative and I'll-teach-that-guy scenarios might parade through your mind when an absolute jerk with no understanding of roadway risk intrudes on your space, you know that responding to aggression with aggression is hardly a recipe for safe traffic-related outcomes.
How about backing off, away from the madness, and then coolly calling 911 to report that motorist? Maybe you'll even garner the satisfaction of seeing a California Highway Patrol car pulling over that vehicle a mile or two down the road.
That is an offered-up recommendation made by the CHP in a recent article discussing federal grants made available to California officials to combat roadway safety risks.
Dealing with snarling, edgy and just dangerous drivers is a tier-one focus of the grants. So, too (and for obviously understandable reasons) is impaired driving. A year-long campaign aided by federal funds has a dual educational/enforcement slant to it. For would-be and actual drunk drivers who simply don't listen to safety slogans and pleas, CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow serves up this little nugget of information: Even a first-time DWI/DUI charge in California can deplete an offender's bank account by more than $15,000.
Other grants are being applied to initiatives focused on motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian safety. All those populations are obviously at pronounced risk in any accident outcome.