From November 1, 2022 post
An Albuquerque visitor to The Observer recently mentioned that coming to Rio Rancho was like coming to the Wild, Wild West.
Drivers.
My experience with drivers in Rio Rancho is that they many are aggressive, thoughtless and dangerous.
They run stop signs and red lights. They tend to come flying up on the car in front and then tailgate.
It’s almost as if some RR residents use their vehicles as weapons. And not, by any means, just male drivers. And not just younger, testosterone-fueled drivers. Apparently, some female drivers have plenty of testosterone, too.
I used to play tennis with a former state official. A peaceful, rambling thing considering our age. Big looping rallies. We didn’t necessarily want to get worked up about anything.
He, too, talked about having drivers being angry and aggressive because he was traveling the speed limit. They barreled up on his rear bumper, then stayed there.
Sound familiar?
My own experiences reflect the same thing.
Traveling down Volcan del Paseo on the way to work one morning, I stopped at Broadmoor Blvd. at the red light. Within seconds, a pickup truck pulling a trailer flew by, running the light and setting up the possibility of a crash from the car turning from Broadmoor onto Volcan.
Bad enough.
Seconds after that driver flew by, a small car followed at a high rate of speed in his wake.
Wha?
A week later, I watched in disbelief as a woman, apparently in a hurry, pull to a stop at a red light in the lane going straight. Then, she whipped around the car in the turning lane – running the light at the same time.
Wha?
I have seen cars swerve in front of other cars, cutting them off, cars speeding well beyond the speed limit. And they can’t wait if the yellow light appears. They have to beat the red.
You get what you get.
But you can also report these drivers. Here is a link. http://operationlillyabq.com/
According to New Mexico Department of Transportation, up to 1,500 people are killed or injured yearly in road rage incidents in the U.S.
Aggressive driving, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says, accounts for a third of all crashes.
Says the report: “If you see someone driving aggressively, don’t engage with or antagonize the other driver. This includes making eye contact or making any gestures that may fuel the other driver’s anger. Instead, distance yourself from that person. If you feel that you are in danger due to road rage, call 911. Do what you can to End Road Rage. Remember, lives depend on it.”
Here’s what to report when you call 911.
- Exact location of the driver. Name of road and crossroad. If you are on a highway, note the mile marker and direction the car is going.
- Color, make and model of the car.
- What the driver is doing. Is the driver threatening you? Threatening others?
It’s something to think about as we head into Halloween. There will be kids out there.
Happy driving.
Original source found here.
Alerts Sign-up