Over the past weeks of being able to provide the public with various traffic safety related information, I have received emails from folks requesting specific information that may be useful or informative to others.
The following are two specific inquires and my responses to them;
I’ve been traveling up and down I-5 for more years than I care to remember and one thing has always puzzled me. It seems that almost 80% of the time when I pass the inspection station at Dunsmuir or north of Red Bluff, there’s always at least one big rig going right on by without going in. I thought all trucks were supposed to go through when the scales are open.
With the assistance of CHP Officer Sandy Oster, PIO, Cottonwood Inspection facility, the following is my reply. There is a company called “PrePass.” It is a weigh station bypass system available to companies and owner/operators for a fee. There are specifications for eligibility, they don’t accept just anyone. Approximately one mile before a weigh station, the PrePass transponder sends a signal. The truck is then electronically identified and weighed. A PrePass system computer located in the weight station verifies truck credentials. A green light and audible signal from the truck’s windshield-mounted transponder gives the go-ahead to bypass. If weight or credentials cannot be verified, the driver is signaled to pull into the station. In short, truckers who have qualified/and have signed up for PrePass generally get to bypass the scale, and the scales have the ability to monitor it. When the trucks are due for inspections, PrePass will send them through the scales until they receive/pass a full mechanical/driver inspection (Level 1). We get quite a few drivers who “volunteer” for the Level 1 so they can go back to getting the “green light.”
I’m a conservative driver, going along at 60 mph in the far right lane on the freeway. The aggressive drivers out there downright scare me. They drive fast right up to my car, stay “on my tail, passing eventually within inches of my, then pull back into my lane again within inches of my car. And sometimes tailgaters won’t pass, even when I slow down, and that in itself creates another dangerous situation. There are many more situations than just these two.
There is nothing wrong with being a conservative driver and driving at or a little below the posted speed limit. However, the vast majority of traffic is going to be traveling at the speed limit or even a little faster (not lawful, but a fact). One of my first articles discussed following a vehicle too close. The reality of your situation is that there is nothing you can do to prevent others from driving improperly. Slowing down many times tends to make the situation even more dangerous. As long as you maintain your speed and are aware of the other vehicles position, you have done what you can. Many times I’ve been told by a motorist that if they don’t go as fast as everyone else, they will be run over. In all my years of traffic enforcement, I have never seen the driver of a tailgating vehicle just run into the other vehicle to get them out of the way. I’m sure that it has happened, but it’s not at the top of any primary collision factor list.
I will continue to reiterate one specific idea. As the operator of a motor vehicle, you have one responsibility and that is to get you and your passengers to a location as safely and as legally allowed. Enjoy the ride.
Monty Hight is a retired California Highway Patrol officer and Public Information Officer. He is the North State AVOID Campaign’s Public Information Officer. He lives in Redding. More information on AVOID can be found here.
