Drivers, Please Slow Down - Editorial
Last Friday night, a needless tragedy occurred on the Sagamore Bridge. One life abruptly ended as a result, and countless others have undoubtedly felt the impacts in the week since.
The Bourne and Sagamore bridges are, objectively speaking, not the easiest to traverse. At close to 100 years old, the bridges were designed for the cars of that era—which cannot compare to the hulking vehicles roaming the roads today.
We have crossed the Cape Cod Canal bridges hundreds and hundreds of times ourselves; and yet, the twinge of fear has never fully subsided. Maybe, it never will; and maybe that is a good thing. That extra caution could make the difference between routine and tragedy.
The fear we can’t shake while driving the narrow passage over the Cape Cod Canal is twofold. Our own driving is of concern, of course, as it always should be—whoever is in the driver’s seat should be 100 percent focused on the road, but even more so while crossing a bridge. The other concern, though, is focused more on what those driving near and around us are doing. You truly can never pay too much attention, especially when you’re passing oncoming highway traffic with a margin of what feels like mere inches, while suspended over a body of water. When you think about it, it is pretty scary.
People drive fast. There is this perpetual feeling to rush nowadays—everyone is going somewhere, and they’re going there fast. But really, what is the hurry? We likely all know by now that traffic on Cape Cod in the summer is just about everyone’s least favorite thing. If you feel annoyed about being stuck in traffic, chances are you’re not alone. Traffic is one of the few things no one is immune to, but when you factor in dangerous driving—whether it’s due to negligence, distraction, speeding, anything—on top of the already heightened tensions that come with traffic jams, a minor inconvenience can become a life-altering action in a single instant.
What happened last weekend on the Sagamore Bridge is deeply sad, and our thoughts go out to all who were involved, witnessed, or responded to the accident. We implore everyone on the roads to exercise caution, especially in the crowded summer months. Everyone is going somewhere, but no matter how frustrated, how annoyed, or how late you are because of traffic, arriving safely at your destination should always outweigh the need to shave off a few minutes by speeding or driving erratically. A bit of extra caution—and care for our fellow driver—really can save a life.