Musings: Do I have driver gripes? You better believe it!

Welcome to my Traffic Grievance Department:

Driving on Long Island roads is not as pleasurable as it used to be. The teenage, 20-something and 30-something drivers may not realize that having a driver’s license is a privilege as well as a badge of freedom, and with it comes serious responsibilities.

They share the road with the rest of us 40-, 50-, 60-, 70- and even 80-somethings. The Long Island Expressway and Meadowbrook Parkway are not their personal drag strips to show off their driving “skills.” Aggressive driving, weaving in and out of lanes at high speeds, and tailgating will likely eventually cause an accident — or worse. Why would somebody risk trashing one’s treasured car?

And then there are those drivers of all ages who do not pay attention to where they are going and ride in the far-left lane before discovering that they will miss their exit if they don’t act quickly, speeding across lanes of traffic. So what if it takes you an extra ten minutes to get to where you want to go? Just get off at the next exit and backtrack; better late than never. And if you’re a “better never late” driver, then leave 15 minutes earlier.

And who came up with the bright idea of replacing halogen headlights with LED ones that shine directly into the faces of oncoming drivers? Those lights can mask lane markers. If those lights pointed down instead, near-misses would not be so common at night.

And can those reflective road markers be made more visible so drivers wouldn’t have to struggle to see where they are going, especially on dark, rainy nights? Also, fix the potholes and resurrect fallen road signs.

Finally, place AI speed cameras on major roadways. If a fast car is caught twice, impound it, regardless of who the driver is.

— James DiGregorio, Garden City