Drivin' in the Rain

Sirens have been screaming down my street (and I imagine many others) all day long. It’s a very scary (and somewhat humorous) fact that when it rains in Bakersfield, accidents happen. I’m not sure if ‘accident’ is really the best way to describe it, considering they usually happen as a result of people refusing to slow down and not taking road conditions into consideration. A couple of days ago I saw THREE cars run red lights in the span of 30 minutes. On the way to work the other day I actually saw a full semi-truck, cargo in tow, run a VERY red light on the corner of 23rd and H Street. That really freaked me out.

About an hour ago I was sitting at a red light on Rosedale Hwy (again! Ugh!) when a fire truck came tearing down the street in the opposite direction. The road was completely blocked – all three lanes. As the fire truck came to a stop behind the traffic jam, everybody looked around not knowing what to do. Not one car even attempted to get out of the way (there was a parking lot right there which could have been turned into) until some good ol’ boy in his Ford pick up, took the initiative and drove up over the cement divider to make room. I feel sorry for the person waiting for that rescue vehicle to arrive.

The same day I saw all those cars run red lights, my friend who was with me told me he feels safer driving in rush hour traffic in LA than he does crossing town in the middle of the afternoon in Bakersfield.

That’s gotta tell you something.