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Page A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
care: Former traffic sa
By Tom Aaron
n the beginning there were two
Iautomobiles in the country. You
are right, the drivers ran into
each other. It is still happening to-
day and maybe we can do something
about it.
Do we cram appointments into a
24-hour period and forget about laws
of physics? Speed kills, neglect of
paying attention kills, and forgetting
that driving is a full-time job kills. It’s
as simple as that. Anything that be-
comes a distraction can be deadly. It
only takes a fraction of a second.
Teaching traffic safety education, I
was aware of certain laws out in the
driving environment. I shared the in-
formation with my students.
One day I stopped at a State Patrol
academy and talked with two troopers
who were experienced in laws of phys-
ics. ’They shared with me a simple
equation about driving. When an ob-
ject is in motion it tends to remain in
motion until another force acts upon
T imes= To avoid th
it. Here is the formula: Take any
speed, add half, subtract two, and you
will get the distance per second you
are moving. For example, at 60 mph
you will cover a distance of 88 feet in
ONE second! (60+30=90-2=88)
Quite simple, isn’t it, but deadly if
something goes wrong. So, get off your
cellphone, it can wait. Don’t worry
about who died just now, it can wait.
Don’t think about who is attending
church, it can wait. Don’t be con-
cerned about a meeting, it can wait.
Don’t look down to adjust anything,
it can wait. You should be so familiar
with all gadgets on the instrument
panel that you don’t have to look to
adjust. If you’re tired, don’t drive. If
you even think of drinking alcohol,
don’t drive. You just may have a false
sense of security.
In today’s driving environment, a
lot of drivers tailgate. This is danger-
ous. Even driving defensively, main-
taining a good following distance,
someone will take up that space. Just
do your best. In most cases, if you
tailgate and hit the car in front of
you, you’re liable.
I mentioned speed earlier. You said
if anything happens you are wearing
seat belt, your restraint system and
even have an airbag, so you’re OK.
Are you?
If you drive too fast, you can still
be injured or killed in a collision.
Remember your restraint system is
bolted to the floor and so is your seat.
A collision can cause the seat to be
ripped from the floor. Your physical
body is moving at the same speed as
your car. Never forget that. Restraint
systems are put in cars to protect you
as you drive with reason. Speed limit
signs are posted for the best ideal
conditions. Every time the weather
changes no one goes out to change the
speed limit signs.
It might be wise to drive with a
window open a little for air flow just
in case of a collision. The deploying
air bag won’t bust your eardrums.
Would you take $1,000,000 for your
life? Of course not. So why drive fool-
fety instructor offers advice
ishly?
There was a little saying in the
driver’s education classroom: “Drive
defensively, get a tank!” There may be
some truth to that. v
Use your own imagination in the
million dollar statement above. Fin-
ish the story on your own. Your life is
worth more than $1,000,000.
Drive a car that is safe. Check all
things on your car often. You want
that automobile to respond in a safe
manner anytime, anywhere!
I have found some tips from text—
books and friends that might help. So,
know your own personal limitations,
keep your eyes moving and be alert.
Be aware of what is going on around
you, have an escape route and be ex-
tra cautious at night.
I have a vision problem, driving
at night on a two—way road because
of on-coming headlights. That is now
my personal limitation. When my day
comes to stop driving, then I must
see TRAFFIC, page lat-7
e chum crOwds, Visit on a weekday
little nervous because we don’t know what we’ll do if
too many people show up,” Lance said.
is making changes this season.
“We’re not advertising it and we’re not doing the
community tours that we usually do because we’re
not sure how this will work out,” Lance said.
The gate will be open in November on Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays, starting Nov. 6, and the final
day will be Nov. 28. The gate, at 1350 SE. Old Olym-
pic Highway, will open at 10 am. and close at 4 pm. r
The parking lot can accommodate 25 cars so “we’re a
continued from page A—4
If you want to avoid crowds and can walk a mile,
go Monday through Thursday. Park along the shoul-
der of Old Olympic Highway and wear a mask along ‘
drifts down river, her body becoming nourishment for
flora and fauna.
Males devote all the nutrients they consumed in
the ocean to fuel their reproductive system, and when
they’re chummed out, they die, their carcasses joining
the others.
Because of COVID, the South Sound salmon group
the trails. Staff from the salmon group and volunteers
will be available to answer questions.
I Contact Kirk Ericson at kirk@masoncounty.com.
COMMISIONER PUD 3
To my fellow Mason County Citizens, from John Komen
and radio, a career that led him from
Seattle to New York and back. Then
he returned to the Olympic Peninsula
and Mason County, building a home
on a Mason Lake lot purchased 58
years ago.
Now it is time to say thank you. So 1
offer to serve you—my fellow Mason
County citizens—by working fer you
as a commissioner of Mason County .
Public Utility District 3.
The November 3 ballot will soon be
in your mail. I would be honored to
have you select me to serve you in
this important nonpartisan office.
Thank you.
The boy lived wonderful summers in
his grandparents’ log cabin near the
Elwha Ranger Station. He remembers
the old CCC encampment. The young
men of the Civilian Conservation
Corps would take the boy on jeep—
rides up the treacherous Whiskey
Bend road.
He remembers the Eastern brook
trout caught in tiny streams that
flowed into Griff Creek. And he
remembers putting boards across an
inner tube and floating in streams
meandering from the swift—flowing
Elwha River.
The boy grew up to become a
newsman. He enjoyed forty years in
television, newspapers, wire services
Paid for by Elect John Komen 0 1390 E Mason Lake Dr. W Grapeview, Wa. 98546
‘ A [e hold in common this great
enchantment with the Olympic
mountains. To live on this Olympic
Peninsula is to enjoy nature’s
unmatched beauty found nowhere
else in America.
There was a boy whose fortune
it waste be forever linked to this
wonderland. He grew up on the
Olympic Peninsula. In his boyhood,
Shelton was where you entered this
land of mountain peaks; rushing
streams and fascinating wildlife.
The boy remembers to this day the
astonishingly huge herd of Olympic
elk as it crashed its migration way
acrossthe Elwha River.
— John D. Komen