It happened again early this morning. The sun was just barely coming up. I was trying to load a days worth of stuff into my car. The toddler was toddling around the van when I heard it, the sound of one of my neighbors treating the ally like it was the Indy 500. Pulse racing, I grabbed for the toddler and gave the driver the look of death.
Since Ezra is Deaf, he doesn’t get the vroom vroom vroom warning that most people learn to rely on but since it was bus stop hour, it shouldn’t matter or not that he is deaf, all cars in every neighborhood should slow the #&$@ down!
I mean really, shouldn’t ALL FREAKING CARS be driving the posted speed limit? Should this be an issue that I have to blog about? It is a neighborhood. There are children. I do not need a PhD to figure out that driving slowly is not a recommendation but a requirement. At what point in the world have we decided that other people’s kids don’t matter?
Now I would like to shine the light on that specific silver sedan that came barreling down my ally this morning but the truth is that this is wide spread problem in my area. My house sits across from a playground and about 30 yards around the corner from the mailboxes. For some reason, people seem to think that after they get their mail, that getting up to 25-30mph is a required speed in a residential area? Then they coming flying around that corner like the Bat mobile just to save, oh I don’t know about 30 freaking seconds from their day.
What price are you willing to pay for those 30 seconds? Is it so damn hard to slow down, get off your phone and create a safe environment for our children?
Over the years, I have become known as the “crazy lady” on the playground. Although I bet some neighbors call me other things. When my kids are out playing and a person comes barreling down the street I don’t hesitate to yell SLOW DOWN at the top of my lungs. I may have even tossed out the occasional ball out into middle of the street forcing the person to slow down or possibly let one of those little ride on toys roll down the hill in front of a car suddenly exclaiming, “Oh my goodness, what if their had been a kid on it?,” while the driver looks at me all befuddled.
SLOW DOWN!
For the love of all things good! SLOW DOWN!
During the summer last year, my HOA was kind enough to even put in these reflective signs up for Ezra. You can find them at both ends of our street and they clearly alert drivers that there may actually be a small child that can not hear their #6 speed racer vehicle. A small child that won’t have the luxury of being forewarned that they have decided stop signs are just a suggestion. A small child that may need you to be an alert and focused driver.
But did it help? Nope.
The old lady in her silver sports car and her religious license plate still flies by the playground like she is late for the resurrection. Until she sees me and slows down because she knows I might just jump in the street at her. Which seems to be the only thing that makes a difference.
Or the Corrections Officer in the red SUV. Yes, you. I see your arm badge. I would think that by the 50th time my husband has stepped in front of your car that you would consider slowing down, but oh no, not you. You would rather stick up your middle finger to a playground full of kids. Because well, you are super cool like that.
And it’s not just personal cars. What about those business vehicles that won’t take a moment to slow down. Mr. Heating & Cooling, did you know that the corner is a bus stop? Is it still confusing after 4 years of driving past the pile of kids at the same time every morning? I can see how you might mistake the group of backpack wearing munchkins with some strange alien life form but even then I would probably slow down enough to keep the alien splatter from running my paint job on my work vehicle.
I just don’t get it.
I don’t understand why drivers are increasingly incapable of using vehicles safely. Why parents like myself have to ask you to slow down in order to protect our children. This should be common sense but since it is not, let me make my plea.
Can you please slow the #&$% down before you kill my kid or someone else’s ?
Thanks.
Love,
The Mom!