Fatal Vehicle Accidents Are On the Rise in North Dakota this Year
According to KFYR-TV, there have already been 56 fatal accidents in 2021, which is up 12 since the same time last year. KFYR-TV reports that the North Dakota Department of Transportation is reminding North Dakotans to obey speed limits, don't text while driving, and to buckle up.
I know this is a common topic, but things like obeying speed limits and buckling up do not matter when you are driving among incompetent drivers. When I went home for lunch today, I was almost clipped by a big-name delivery truck as it tried to cut into my lane after tailing the car in front of it. It was pretty outrageous that the driver in a company delivery vehicle was driving like a mad person.
It is not just delivery drivers, though. It is no secret that North Dakotans are not great drivers. And I think the strangest form of bad driving can be found right here in Bismarck-Mandan. The two things that flare up my road rage are:
- Slow drivers (especially in the left lane)
- Drivers on the highway acting as if the road is their own personal piece of land as others are attempting to merge.
These are two awful driving traits that I will never understand. I understand people trying to "abide by the law," but driving 10 to 15 miles below the speed limit on the highway is not safe for anyone on the road. And it may not be the law to move over for merging traffic, but it is called "sharing the road" for a reason. There is no need to make it a point to not let merging traffic onto the highway. End rant.
Drive safe, North Dakota.