As the news of Maui's first two traffic fatalities of the year hit the front pages this week, we were reminded of an old saying:
"Everybody thinks he's a good driver and nobody's as good a driver as he thinks he is."
While it is too early in the process to know if speed was involved in these deaths, we've talked here numerous times about the speeds on Maui's roads.
Even our best "highways" - Piilani, Mokulele and Kuihelani - are, in fact, rural roads with crossing intersections all along them. Don't let the four lanes fool you - you are liable to encounter cross traffic all along them.
Basically, what this means is that the posted speed limits are what these roads are designed for. If the sign says 45 miles per hour, don't drive 70. Too many drivers on Maui do just that.
There is another factor involved in the "good driver" theory, too. Certainly, some drivers have better vision, better reaction times and a better feel for the road than others. But the speed that some of these "good drivers" feel they can handle actually panics drivers of lesser abilities.
To put it bluntly, when we see you roaring up on our tailgate, we don't know you're a "great driver" who can swerve around us safely at the last second. It distracts us from our own driving and may cause us to hit someone in front of us. So you may not have been involved in the resulting accident, but you sure caused it.
So, please. Have respect for others on the road. Drive the speed limit. The life you save may be your own. Or ours.
* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.
