Our View: Remember safe driving skills

Sweetwater County’s roads have seen more than their fair share of tragedy during the past week.

A motorcycle crash in Rock Springs claimed the life of a Green River resident early Saturday morning and just two days later, another motorcycle crash outside the Interstate 80 tunnels resulted in the rider’s death. Also, due to the season, more bikers are on the road at this time of year as well.

Anyone who has driven from Green River to Rock Springs, or taken a longer trip along I-80 can attest that traffic has gotten much thicker during the past few weeks. Stephanie Harsha, Wyoming Department of Transportation’s public involvement specialist, said July and August are the times when I-80 are at its busiest. However, that congestion easily spreads to Green River and Rock Springs’ larger streets.

With that added congestion, we’re urging residents to be more careful while driving.

Drivers should be especially careful of motorcyclists. Motorcycles are great means of transportation. They’re fun and look pretty cool too, but a crash can be far worse for a rider because they’re not in an enclosed space like a car or a truck. Drivers should be more aware of motorcycles while driving and likewise we think motorcyclists should avoid riding around like a racer because they’re cool on their bikes.

On I-80, we’re definitely urging people to follow the speed limit and not drive as if they’re trying to qualify for a NASCAR race. It’s such a common occurrence to see someone flying by in the passing lane going 80-100 mph, weaving through traffic. If you’re guilty of doing that, stop it. Crashes at those kinds of speeds, even if someone is wearing a seatbelt, can be fatal. This is especially true of people driving back and forth from Green River to Rock Springs, or vice versa. The time saved by driving like a maniac doesn’t justify the behavior.

A person saves something maybe two or three minutes, which will get burned up looking for a parking space or stopped at a stoplight.

In general, please don’t drive like a manic. We briefly considered repeating that statement ad nauseam down the entirety of this column, but the issue at hand is far more important than a tongue-in-cheek method of making that statement would lend it.

We’re all sharing the roads throughout Sweetwater County, regardless of if it’s I-80, Flaming Gorge Way, or a dirt Bureau of Land Management road leading to one of the hidden gems throughout the county. Let’s act like we can share those roads with everyone else.