Dashcam Footage Reveals Lubbock Driver’s Greatest Traffic Sin
Sometimes I think that Lubbock is probably not unique insofar as bad driving goes. Perhaps it's confirmation bias because I live here and have to deal with it daily, so it seems like Lubbock is full of particularly bad drivers.
And then I see dashcam footage like this.
WOOF.
For context, the white car rolled through a stop sign onto Slide Road, arguably the busiest street in Lubbock. And they did so at night, making it even more perilous. Luckily, the person with the dashcam had time to stop. Had the white car wrecked with the northbound vehicle going full speed, 45mph on Slide, it would have almost certainly totaled both vehicles and perhaps hurt or killed both drivers. Good on the dashcam car for driving so defensively.
Can we note that for people who largely don't want anyone to "California My Texas", they sure love to do a "California Stop"? That is, rolling right through a stop sign. Onto a major street.
You may think that I'm going to argue that these rolling stops are Lubbock's great driving sin. It's only a part of it. Lubbock's greatest driving sin is not waiting your turn. Whether it's rolling stops, continuing to turn left long after the arrow is red, or just zooming past a red light in general, Lubbockites can't seem to muster any patience. Even though it takes a max of 20 minutes to get anywhere in town.
So what's the problem?
I have some theories that I've heard other folks say, and likely it's a combination of all of them. Small-town drivers who have only driven in those small towns adjusting to life in an actual city. Or, Lubbockites who have never had to learn the patience and fortitude you need to drive in a traffic-burdened city like Houston. The large influx of inexperienced drivers because of Texas Tech. The need to be macho and dominate behind the wheel. People driving inebriated.
How do we fix it?
It's a big problem, but I think the best solution is to share information like this dashcam footage to make it more real to people about what can happen if they drive impatiently.
Personally, I think I'll be investing in a dash cam, too.
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