Wondering As I Drive Around NJ

As I travel around the Garden state covering stories, I often ask myself… why?

Why, on many major highways and byways, are those orange construction cones set up in one lane – for several miles sometimes – and there is absolutely no sign of any Department of Transportation worker anywhere nearby? Somebody had to set up those cones for some reason!

Why do drivers on major roads like the Turnpike and the Parkway slow down dramatically – well below the speed limit – when they see a police car on the side of the roadway that has pulled another vehicle over? That’s dangerous! And besides, the officer is focused on writing a ticket for the person he or she stopped, not other cars!

 I wonder why some drivers stay in the left lane, traveling slower than the speed limit – and then, when you try to pass them, they speed up so you can can’t. What’s the point of that?

 I’m curious as to why some motorists who travel much faster than the speed limit drive in the far right lane – the slow lane - zooming past everybody – instead of trying to follow the law and pass in the left lane? Do they think they’ll avoid detection by authorities? Do they think radar won’t work in the right lane?

 Why does it seem like everybody in Jersey is always doing something else while they’re driving? Many people are eating, putting on makeup, or talking on their hand-held cell phones. Once, I saw a woman knitting a sweater while driving 65 miles an hour! Do people think they can do these things safely, or do they just not care about safety?

Hmmm. I wonder…