An Open Letter To The Drivers In Yakima!

I’ve worked in radio for 25 years, and during that time, I ventured out into other career fields.

One of the ones I enjoyed for a long time was as a medical courier.

If you do not know what a medical courier is, think of a high-priced pizza delivery driver only instead of pizza. I transported the stuff that pizza turned into after it was consumed, i.e., blood and other body fluids and masses.

I’ve seen many wrecks and many poor decisions in the 13 years that I did that job, but I can honestly say two of the most needless incidents happened within the past month.

The pictures of these incidents are not meant to shame the drivers but more of a hopeful message to everyone behind the wheel.

Life is going too fast as it is; slow down and take your time. If you’re running late, guess what? You’re already late; don’t add an accident or damage to the situation. It helps no one.

The owner of this car was in a hurry to get where she needed to go, backed out (not far enough), started to move her car forward and drove right into the flowerbed, and ‘high centered’ her car on top of one of our decorative landscaping rocks.

She was very nice, but it did take 3 of us and a half hour to get her car unstuck. The last I saw, the car did not look damaged, but another inch to the right, and the rock could have punctured her oil pan.

The incident could have been avoided if she was not in so much of a rush.

I don’t know the whole story with this picture. Whether it was alcohol-related, speed-related, or something else like BEES!

But I know we can all agree that that is not the proper way to get into Arby’s Drive-Thru.

Without knowing more of the details, all I can say is, if it was alcohol-related, don’t drink and drive, SLOW DOWN, and sober up and drive home the next day.

If it was speed related, missed the turn, caused the tire to pop, sending the car out of control, SLOW DOWN.

If it was distracted driving, put the phone down, SLOW DOWN. You don’t need to respond to that phone call or text right that second; it can wait.

BEES… okay, if it was bees, I guess you’d get a free pass in my book for that one, but this wasn't bees (I'm 99% sure of).

The lady in the first photo was okay, I hope the person who drove the 2nd vehicle turned out okay.

Please, when you’re behind the wheel, slow down. If you know you have to get somewhere, plan ahead and give yourself more time.