Brownsville's Traffic Scofflaws Take Notice
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
I am not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, I can say, with a certain degree of accuracy, that I am more flawed than any of you could possibly ever be. That said, I really think this is something that needs to be said.
I hate when people say something like "Brownsville is the most corrupt city in the United States," or, "Brownsville has the worst drivers in the United States." Statements like this can't possibly be true. There's no way you can make a statement like this with any kind of accuracy unless you've visited every single city in every single state in the United States of America. I get a lot of people like to deal in hyperbole, but it is something that has always rubbed me the wrong way.
I like watching shows like Live PD. I also spend an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube videos of stupid people doing stupid things to get them tased (usually it's one of those stupid sovereign citizens who think the laws of the United States don't apply to them — if you ever want to be entertained for a while, I strongly suggest you YouTube "sovereign citizen owned"). While watching an episode of Live PD the other night, I noticed that there was a police vehicle that was stuck behind two other cars while a vehicle the police officer was chasing was getting away. The cars did not want to yield to the police vehicle that had its lightbar activated and its siren blaring. That got me to thinking, so many people here in Brownsville do the exact same thing. When they are driving down the road, and they see flashing emergency lights or hear a siren, they just keep on driving with no regard for the emergency vehicle that may be coming towards them.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. In the Great State of Texas, the law states if there is an emergency vehicle approaching you from behind with its emergency lights and/or siren activated, you have to move over and allow the emergency vehicle clear passage. If you are at an intersection, and an emergency vehicle approaches with its emergency lights and/or siren activated, you are to wait at that intersection until the emergency vehicle has passed through.
For the record, an emergency vehicle is defined as a marked (or perhaps unmarked) official government vehicle that is either a police vehicle, a fire department vehicle (firetruck, brush truck, chief's vehicle), or an emergency medical response vehicle (ambulance or hazmat truck). Living on the border with Mexico complicates things further, as there are not only city and county emergency vehicles, but there are several federal and state agencies that have emergency vehicles as well. It would probably be in your best interest to learn what all the official emergency vehicles in Brownsville look like.
People in town do not like to pull over for approaching emergency vehicles. This is something that really needs to be looked at. If you see an emergency vehicle approaching, and it has its emergency lights and/or siren activated, pull over and yield to the emergency vehicle. God forbid the police car, firetruck, or ambulance needs to get to one of your loved ones because they need a first responder to help them.
In addition, if you are approaching an emergency vehicle from behind, it is also the law that you have to move over and give the emergency vehicle room. If you can't move over, or if there isn't an extra lane for you to merge on to, you have to slow down. There have also been recent changes to the Move Over/Slow Down Law. The law has expanded. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, "Motorists must vacate the nearest lane or slow down to at least 20MPH below the speed limit when passing stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, highway maintenance and service vehicles, and garbage trucks. This law only applies when the stationary vehicle is using approved alternately flashing lighting equipment."
I really do wish Brownsville had a dedicated traffic department within the Brownsville Police Department. I firmly believe Brownsville is big enough that we need traffic police whose primary responsibility is to enforce the traffic laws. I'm sure I've been guilty of breaking these laws myself. However, I do my best to be as safe as possible on the roads.
There really is no reason why we can't obey the traffic laws. We should always make sure we yield to emergency vehicles, stop when we see red flashing lights and signs on school buses, and move over or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle.
We can choose to make Brownsville roads safer. It is, after all, the law.
I am not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, I can say, with a certain degree of accuracy, that I am more flawed than any of you could possibly ever be. That said, I really think this is something that needs to be said.
I hate when people say something like "Brownsville is the most corrupt city in the United States," or, "Brownsville has the worst drivers in the United States." Statements like this can't possibly be true. There's no way you can make a statement like this with any kind of accuracy unless you've visited every single city in every single state in the United States of America. I get a lot of people like to deal in hyperbole, but it is something that has always rubbed me the wrong way.
I like watching shows like Live PD. I also spend an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube videos of stupid people doing stupid things to get them tased (usually it's one of those stupid sovereign citizens who think the laws of the United States don't apply to them — if you ever want to be entertained for a while, I strongly suggest you YouTube "sovereign citizen owned"). While watching an episode of Live PD the other night, I noticed that there was a police vehicle that was stuck behind two other cars while a vehicle the police officer was chasing was getting away. The cars did not want to yield to the police vehicle that had its lightbar activated and its siren blaring. That got me to thinking, so many people here in Brownsville do the exact same thing. When they are driving down the road, and they see flashing emergency lights or hear a siren, they just keep on driving with no regard for the emergency vehicle that may be coming towards them.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. In the Great State of Texas, the law states if there is an emergency vehicle approaching you from behind with its emergency lights and/or siren activated, you have to move over and allow the emergency vehicle clear passage. If you are at an intersection, and an emergency vehicle approaches with its emergency lights and/or siren activated, you are to wait at that intersection until the emergency vehicle has passed through.
For the record, an emergency vehicle is defined as a marked (or perhaps unmarked) official government vehicle that is either a police vehicle, a fire department vehicle (firetruck, brush truck, chief's vehicle), or an emergency medical response vehicle (ambulance or hazmat truck). Living on the border with Mexico complicates things further, as there are not only city and county emergency vehicles, but there are several federal and state agencies that have emergency vehicles as well. It would probably be in your best interest to learn what all the official emergency vehicles in Brownsville look like.
People in town do not like to pull over for approaching emergency vehicles. This is something that really needs to be looked at. If you see an emergency vehicle approaching, and it has its emergency lights and/or siren activated, pull over and yield to the emergency vehicle. God forbid the police car, firetruck, or ambulance needs to get to one of your loved ones because they need a first responder to help them.
In addition, if you are approaching an emergency vehicle from behind, it is also the law that you have to move over and give the emergency vehicle room. If you can't move over, or if there isn't an extra lane for you to merge on to, you have to slow down. There have also been recent changes to the Move Over/Slow Down Law. The law has expanded. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, "Motorists must vacate the nearest lane or slow down to at least 20MPH below the speed limit when passing stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, highway maintenance and service vehicles, and garbage trucks. This law only applies when the stationary vehicle is using approved alternately flashing lighting equipment."
I really do wish Brownsville had a dedicated traffic department within the Brownsville Police Department. I firmly believe Brownsville is big enough that we need traffic police whose primary responsibility is to enforce the traffic laws. I'm sure I've been guilty of breaking these laws myself. However, I do my best to be as safe as possible on the roads.
There really is no reason why we can't obey the traffic laws. We should always make sure we yield to emergency vehicles, stop when we see red flashing lights and signs on school buses, and move over or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle.
We can choose to make Brownsville roads safer. It is, after all, the law.
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