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Over the Back Fence By HANK HENRY California cop notices difference By HANK HENRY Over the years, I've received several letters containing good ideas for this column. The latest comes from Joan Jones of Medford. A friend of hers in California sent her a clipping from the Pasadena Star News, which Mrs. Jones sent on to me. The column is titled "Ask a Traffic Cop," and it is written by Sgt. Jay D'Angelo, who is in charge of traffic enforcement for the city of Pasadena. The column's headline is, "Red Light Means Stop!" Here are the first couple of paragraphs: "I have just returned from a trip to Medford, Ore., to see my kids. Although I've been there numerous times over the years, I finally figured out what is so different. Oh, the weather -- and the smog, graffiti, earthquakes and forest fires are some obvious things that are missing from the area. Something else was different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until it was time to leave. "I saw no traffic violations. None. No one ran a red light, made an unsafe lane change, made rude finger gestures to other drivers, engaged the police in vehicular chases; no one jay-walked or crossed against the red light, and everyone I saw obeyed the speed limits. When I dropped my kids off at school, all the cars filled with students and driven by parents patiently waited their turn in an orderly line to enter the school drop-off area ... I saw no accidents. The crossing guards were actually obeyed, and everyone followed the school-zone speed limit of 20 mph. Other drivers actually waved me through at four-way stops and in parking lots (even though I had the California `attitude' license plates. Oregonians really don't dislike Californians, just Californians with attitudes). Why, I wondered, is everyone so law-abiding and courteous?" I can certainly agree with Sgt. D'Angelo that most of our drivers do a pretty good job of driving in traffic. I drive around this town a good bit, and days or even weeks go by without me passing by a traffic collision. However, if the sergeant had spent one of his vacation days in one of our cop cars, he would have found that we do have traffic collisions and other traffic problems -- just not as many of them. But it is flattering that he asked his fellow citizens to follow our lead. Traffic in California's big cities can be frightening, especially for people making their first visit. We can understand why. Some time ago, my wife, Nora, and I spent several days driving around in Los Angeles, our first trip there in 20 years. It felt like the city had tripled in population, and the pace of life had moved from a walk, to a sprint, to an all-out race. Where they used to drive 25 mph, bumper-to-bumper, the speed limit is now 45 mph, which they exceed by at least 10 mph, bumper-to-bumper. The locals don't seem to particularly mind. It's like a bullfrog in a pan of water. If heat is slowly applied, the frog will sit there, slowly being boiled to death. When Nora and I moved to Medford 36 years ago, there was a lot of small-town flavor to the place. Since then, the population has about doubled, from a little less than 30,000 to nearly 60,000. The pace of life has about doubled with it, but it is nothing compared with the Los Angeles area. Back to D'Angelo's Pasadena column: "Three hundred collisions a month is ridiculous! Red light running is the No. 1 reason we have collisions -- not `accidents,' because there is no such thing. The yellow light that comes on after the green doesn't mean to step on it. It means prepare to stop because in three seconds that light will change to red. "Here is the message: Run a red light and one or more of the following will occur. You might save 30 seconds on your commute. You may cause a collision and seriously injure or kill someone, maybe even yourself. You'll be another reason that insurance companies don't trust us with lower rates because you cost them big bucks every time you demonstrate that the DMV made a mistake in issuing you a license." There's more to Sgt. D'Angelo's column, but I think you get the drift. Lately I've noticed an increase in the number of Medford drivers who speed up when the light turns yellow, and I have to admit that sometimes I am one of them. The real test is if the light turns red before the car is through the intersection. Failing that test can be tragic. (Hank Henry is a retired Jackson County commissioner and a former radio and television announcer. Call him at 772-9055.) Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA