Fuel for Thought

Slow The @#!% Down

There’s a very specific kind of chaos that hangs over a school zone during morning drop off. If you’ve ever rolled through one, you know exactly what I mean. It’s like the universe decided to take every unpredictable thing it could find and cram it into a few hundred yards. Kids wandering around like they’re powered by static electricity, parents making last second decisions that would confuse even seasoned air traffic controllers, buses lumbering through like prehistoric creatures, and commuters who clearly needed one more cup of coffee before attempting to function in public. And right in the middle of all that, there’s always that one driver who looks at the flashing yellow lights and thinks, “I bet I can shave off a whole eight seconds if I just pretend this zone doesn’t apply to me”.
What really blows my mind is when professional drivers do it. People with a CDL. Drivers who depend on that license to pay their bills. Supposed professional drivers who should absolutely know better. Yet some of them come barreling through a school zone like they’re hauling a truckload of time sensitive miracles. You’d think the folks with the most to lose would be the first ones to ease off the accelerator, but apparently common sense is optional equipment these days. Some of them hit that zone at forty, looking like they’re trying to outrun their own bad decisions.
And then there are the kids. These are small humans with developing brains and absolutely zero awareness of traffic patterns. They’re not thinking about cars or crosswalks or the fact that a fully loaded truck cannot stop on a dime. They’re thinking about whether they remembered their homework, or if their friend is mad at them, or if they can make it to the door before the bell rings. Expecting them to behave like adults is wishful thinking. They’re impulsive, distracted, unpredictable, and that’s exactly why the speed limit drops in the first place.
So when a kid suddenly darts out from behind a parked car, the last thing anyone needs is a truck blasting through like it’s late for a NASCAR qualifier. And let’s be honest here, what’s the rush? Slowing down to fifteen, twenty or twenty five miles per hour for half a mile isn’t going to affect your entire day in any significant way. You’re not losing hours of productivity. You’re losing maybe 45 seconds to a minute, and that’s if the universe is feeling dramatic and you actually have to come to a complete stop. Your schedule will adjust. Your delivery window will survive. Your ego will survive.
More importantly, slowing down gives everyone a break. It gives the kids a break from having to gamble with their lives before the first period. It gives the parents a break from worrying that someone’s going to plow through the crosswalk. It gives the crossing guard a break from having to stare down speeding vehicles armed with nothing but a reflective vest and pure stubborn determination. And it gives you a break too, because nothing ruins a day faster than a preventable tragedy or the mountain of consequences that follow it. Like the paperwork. The court dates. The job loss. Especially the guilt. Pick any of those, they all last a lot longer than the 45 seconds of slowing down.
So really, it’s simple. Don’t speed through school zones. It’s not complicated, it’s not controversial, and it’s not something you get to negotiate with yourself about. It’s basic decency mixed with a little patience. Slow down, breathe, and let the kids get to school safely. You’ll still get where you’re going, and you’ll get there with your conscience and your license intact.

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
 -  Abraham Lincoln

See you down the road,
Greg