Save Lives with Clear Communication

So I was driving towards home this evening, baffled by the presence of a white utility vehicle sitting in the middle turn lane of the road, white roof lights flashing. I drove, as I was supposed to, in the right lane. I had my window down. The driver of the utility vehicle leaned out of the window, flashed his hands, and yelled "STOP!"

My first thought was not for polite company. Neither was my second, as I saw the "Oversized Load" sign flapping on the front of a humongous rig coming hurtling towards me at a breakneck speed of 35 mph. The truck was pulling construction machinery, ostensibly towards the industrial facility past which I was driving. I did a quick u-turn into the nearby park, cursing the ridiculous lack of communication. If I'm about to be squashed, I want to know about it ahead of time!

I mean, we, as a society, have protocols for this. In the absence of flaggers, cones and signs are used. The driver of the utility vehicle could have gotten off of his seat and verbally warned passers-by if he didn't have the necessary orange plastic markers or reversible sign that cautioned drivers to "slow" or "stop." His screaming only confused me. Then, when I realized why he was so adamant that I STOP, I was angered. Why hadn't he used any of the accepted devices to notify and protect drivers (me) at that moment? Who knows, but if I had caught the name of the company on the side of the utility vehicle (which was conveniently gone by the time I had managed my three-point turnaround), there would have been, if not a lawsuit, a very angry Ed on the telephone.

What's the moral of the story? We may not be sued because we don't communicate correctly, but people can die. Periods say STOP, just like an orange cone, a flagger, or some other clearly marked sign would have caused me to rethink passing the man in the utility vehicle. But as it was, his "STOP!" was more like a semicolon - a pause . . . more like a prelude to what followed. My car, and myself, was almost run over by a gazillion-ton trailer because a guy decided to use a semicolon instead of a period.

Learn and use the accepted rules. Just do it. Don't argue that it's your own "style," your unique manner of expression. We have norms for a reason. Protect your unsuspecting readers. Clear communication that is understood by everyone saves lives!

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