With our newsfeeds filled to the brim with the pandemic and all of its related issues these days, I’ve picked a different topic for this week’s KellyGram, and that’s crazy driving! Usually, I spend about 75% of my time in Columbia and 25% in Myrtle Beach, but I have leaned more toward staying in Columbia during COVID-19. Every day, I leave my parking garage around 5:30 or so and get out onto Huger Street and into the left turn lane to Hampton Street (just past my old office). And every day, my car is nearly blown off the road by cars racing down Huger—it’s downright scary! I know that it’s only a matter of time before one of those cars veers into my lane, and it’s truly very nerve-wracking to sit and wait on my green arrow, praying today’s not the day.
My commute to work isn’t always much better. There are some mornings when I’m making a right out of my neighborhood onto Trenholm Road, and the drivers coming from Beltline into town blaze past me like they’re at the Darlington International Raceway! I simply don’t understand the need to put my life or anyone else’s in jeopardy just to get to work, or wherever they’re going, a minute early!
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to be more aware of the fact that our actions and choices can put others at risk, and in my line of work, I am all too familiar with how very true that is when it comes to driving as well. Given the demands on the Columbia Police Department, self-policing is vital to slowing everyone down and keeping our roads safe. Please slow down, please think of other drivers when you’re behind the wheel, and please be on the lookout for pedestrians and cyclists!
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