Dots On The Freeway

i really dont know where to put this as far as topics go. but just had to post this. Having past the freeway a few times, the backup this past week was very obvious. in fact, it was part of the reason why i was on a state hiway when i had my accident instead of I-5. here is an article from the Daily Olympian


Dots on freeway will be removed
By ADAM WILSON

THE OLYMPIAN



Nevermind the dots, for now.

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The state will remove the large white ovals painted on Interstate 5 near the Nisqually River bridges after the safety-campaign markers clogged traffic over the weekend.

The signs explaining them already have been taken away, a state Department of Transportation representative said Monday.

"You had people coming up on these dots and thinking, 'What are these?' Reading the signs - well now they're going less than 60 mph," spokeswoman Lisa Murdock said.

The dots were painted Thursday evening as part of the "2 Dots 2 Safety" program. Signs told drivers to keep two dots between them and the nearest vehicle ahead of them.

The program was intended to encourage drivers to keep 160 feet back from the vehicle they are following - which provides the recommended two seconds of separation at the 60 mph speed limit.

Drivers followed the instructions in heavy traffic Saturday, causing a long backup of vehicles on the freewa y as cars reaching the dots slowed to let the car in front of them get farther ahead.

"The Department of Transportation wants to apologize for the delays that motorists experienced over the weekend," Murdock said. "Our intentions are good. It's just we're trying to increase safety not cause congestion."

The $35,000 program was based on successful campaigns in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, according to the department, which says it will try installing dots in another location.

"We still really believe in this program. It's just that we'll have to take a look at another area," Murdock said, noting the location near Nisqually was thought to be a good spot to start.

"At the time, we thought it was a good representation of the rest of the state. It's not as congested as Seattle, but it is an area where following too close is a problem, and if you use the program where following too close isn't a problem, it's not going to make a difference," Murdock said.

A future location has yet to be determined, but might be on a stretch of road with less traffic, she said.

Following too closely does not give a driver enough time to react to an abrupt maneuver by the leading vehicle. Rear-end collisions accounted for 28 percent of vehicle crashes and 21 deaths in 2005, according to the department.

"Trying to explain to people that they are following too closely has been really difficult," said Sgt. Monica Hunter of the State Patrol, which coordinated with Department of Transportation on the dots project.

if i read this right, the state is apoligizing for helping people drive safely. what is this world coming to??

 

actually after further investigation, the dots are only 80 feet apart. and the speed would only slow down as drivers start to maintain proper following distance.

btw, the ticket for not maintaining proper following distance or cutting in without proper clearance is $101

 

know what you are saying and these are not "turtles" iow, not raised bumps used to warm drivers that they are wandering out of their lanes. these are flat painted dots

 

the backup on I-5 happens EVERY weekend, so the reporters contention that the dots caused it are total bs. and the backup is always going north from Lacey up until you pass Hwy 16 interchange.

besides, if people were inconveinenced by the dots, why would they continue to follow the instructions??? having been held up in traffic for extended periods of time, most probably would not have abided by the dots rule out of frustration.