Dear Mahatma: Saw a car on West Markham. Side mirror hanging by electrical wire. Rear corner of car held together by duct tape. Rear brake light completely obscured. Is there any enforcement of car safety requirements? Were we safer when we had safety inspections? -- Jim Jr.
Dear Jim: Annual safety inspections were phased out in the administration of Mike Huckabee, who was governor for about 11 years starting in July 1996. The move away from annual inspections was widely embraced by the driving public.
Law enforcement has the duty to cite drivers for safety violations. We asked the Office of Driver Services to look through that state agency's big database of tickets to determine if law enforcement is, indeed, putting the hammer down on drivers of cars held together by duct tape.
Results show that in the calendar year 2013, there were 870 such violations. In 2012, there were 1,152.
Dear Mahatma: Please tell the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department about a problem at the 145th Street exit off Interstate 530. At the end of the exit, you go left onto 145th but right onto Pratt Road, but there's no sign. I think it was blown away in a tornado a few years ago. -- Eva
Dear Eva: The Highway Department professes to be delighted every time The Mahatma relays such information. A great source on signage irregularities, we're told, is John Robinson of the National Weather Service, who does lots of post-storm damage assessments.
It's easy to be a helpful citizen. Go to idrivearkansas.com, the Highway Department's fancy-pants website, which is extremely valuable regarding construction zones, especially on interstate highways. Click on the contact button, then on "Report a Problem." Then, um, report the problem. Like a blown-away stop sign.
Dear Mahatma: Always good to remind motorists to watch out for bicyclists, but rarely does anyone say anything about bikers. When was the last time you saw a biker stop for a stop sign or traffic light? -- Wes
Dear Wes: The Mahatma knows many bikers who are assiduously safe. Having said that, he was stopped at a light the other day on JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock. First in line. To the right and slightly ahead was the on-ramp for Interstate 40 west. Suddenly, a swarm of motorcyclists surrounded us. When the light changed, they cut in front and around to get onto the ramp.
Where's a cop when you need one?
Dear Readers: Law enforcement agencies including the Arkansas State Police will step up speeding patrols and sobriety checkpoints over the holiday weekend. Yeah, today is Saturday, and so this is a day late and a dollar short.
Nope. The campaign runs through July 14.
Take this seriously. There were 552 traffic fatalities in 2012, and 26 percent, or 143, involved a driver who had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. That is, legally drunk.
Vanity plate seen on a doctor's car: UofA NERD.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 07/05/2014