(LETTER) Bad Driving: Carelessness or Defiance?

To the editor,

Some fool almost hit me head-on in the dark this morning because they chose to go the wrong way down Monroe's southbound one-way street off Excelsior.

When I got home, of course, I started with Facebook and we got going on a discussion about traffic laws, people doing stupid, dangerous things and went from there.

So are people really that stupid or just don't care about laws-especially traffic laws anymore? I was on my way to pick up my granddaughter at 6 a.m. this morning—like many mornings taking Monroe northbound to Excelsior and 169.  Monroe, for those of you who are unaware, is a one-way street southbound. So a stupid fool in a pickup truck was coming head-on at me going the wrong way on that one way! I honked but couldn't quite get a license number.

My girlfriend said she was almost hit head-on last week by a lady on Highway 81 going the wrong way, too. If the right lane wouldn't have been clear, she couldn't have gotten out of her way.

What is wrong with people these days? I honestly don't think it would do any good to make everyone re-take their driving test to renew their license because I don't really think it's a matter of knowledge—more carelessness, being in a hurry and not thinking laws apply to them.

Part of the problem with Monroe, I'm sure, is the fact that is was changed to a one-way several years ago, making Jackson the southbound route from Excelsior to Harley Hopkins, Superalu and the residences in that direction. Now with all the increased traffic, Jackson has become a minefield of rough road so no one wants to drive down it. Heaven forbid, you drive down the next road (Van Buren) or come around by Honda (Fifth Ave South) and use the truck route designed for heavier traffic. Let's just go the wrong way on the one-way instead!

This is not the first time I've met oncoming vehicles on Monroe either. I've honked, shook my head, my fist and my finger... the driver looks at you like you’re in the wrong, ignores you and even laughs!

What has happened to our "rules of the road," driving etiquette, courtesy and even our respect for the law?

How many people remember and respect the rule to not cross a solid white line? Take a look as you're driving through the Highway 94 tunnel at how many people follow that rule. See how many people yield, how many race through a red light, glide through a stop sign and park in a no-parking zone? I love the people who stop their car in the middle of the road to let someone in, out or move packages, etc. The other day coming through downtown Minneapolis during rush hour, someone just decides to stop—in a no stopping zone—to wait for someone they were picking up.

Driving the other day on Excelsior, a police car with siren and lights on couldn't get through because so many drivers just sat where they were and didn't try to get out of the way. What if that police car/ambulance/fire engine was trying to get to you or your loved ones?

Mary Helmbrecht

Hopkins