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Home » City Services » Lindon City Police Department » Newsletter Article, March 2008
Newsletter Article, March 2008
Newsletter Article
Spring Fever
March 2008
I just looked out the window, and there was some big bright, shiny thing in the sky, the snow was melting and it actually felt kind of warm. Someone told me it was the Sun. Kids were everywhere, on bikes and on foot. Running playing and laughing. That’s something we haven’t seen much of throughout this Siberian-style winter we’ve been having. It really caught my attention when I was driving down the street and one of them veered across the road on his bike without looking. I realized then that we all have sun-stroke. The days are getting longer and we’re so happy for some good weather that we’re not paying as much attention around us as we should. Kids aren’t used to watching for cars. Drivers are more practiced at avoiding snow banks than skateboarders and we all need a moment to wake up and pay better attention!
With better weather and more daylight we all want to get out and get moving, we drive more, we walk places, we ride our bikes and we all feel the need to get some good exercise. But we need to be careful. Parents, talk to your kids about traffic safety. Feel free to tell them that people who drive cars are dumb, they’re distracted and they’re in a hurry. Trust me, it’s true! Remind your kids that THEY have to be the smart ones. Teach them that they have to watch out for traffic and for themselves. Give them responsibility for and ownership of their own safety. They’ll feel more grown up and will take it more seriously.
All of you Adult walkers, joggers, runners, mountain and road bikers need to remember the same thing. YOU have to be safe. We all drive and we know the things that we do wrong while driving. We’re on the cell phone, we’re playing with the CD player, we’re trying to get the kids back in their seats, in short we’re doing everything… BUT paying attention to our driving safety. When we’re traveling down the road at 37 feet per second (that’s at 25 miles per hour), bad things can happen really quickly!
Remember that in Utah we have many seasons. There is Deer Season, Pheasant Season, Football Season and Pothole Season. We are definitely in Pothole Season right now and there isn’t even a special Jersey or bright orange jacket to wear! The freezing and thawing cycles in our climate sometimes cause the road asphalt to break down, resulting in what we fondly call potholes. Some of these holes can grow in a couple of days to Grand Canyon size and can quickly damage a tire or rim. They also contribute to accidents as people may suddenly swerve to avoid them. The Public Works guys do a great job in getting on them quickly and repairing them. Sometimes this can take several applications as the climate breaks down the filling material. The guys patrol for the holes daily, addressing issues on the major roads first. If you know of a particularly mean pothole out there please call it in to the Public Works office at 796-7954.
Always be safe, be prepared, pay attention and definitely enjoy our beautiful Utah spring. It will probably snow a couple of more times, but the end of winter is in sight!
Chief Cody Cullimore
Lindon City Police Department
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