O Diligent Researcher: Driving on Arkansas 9 south of Paron on Saturday I came upon a gaggle of bike riders blocking the road at 25 mph. As the vehicles behind started to increase, the patience quickly decreased. For whatever reason two cars directly behind the group made no attempt to pass. This led to dangerous passing on a hilly, turning highway with few passing zones. Can you shed some light on the legalities? -- Want to Live.
Dear Live: There are two considerations to, um, consider. The first is whether there was a suitable passing lane, and if passing was safe at that particular moment. As you note, Arkansas 9 south of Paron is hilly with few passing zones. No passing on the double yellow. No passing when a sign says, cleverly, "Do Not Pass." No passing in a passing zone when a vehicle approaches from the other direction.
The other consideration is the 3-foot rule. State law requires that drivers who pass bicyclists must do so both safely and with a distance of at least 3 feet.
In defense of the bicyclists, they were not necessarily blocking the road. Bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities as any legal conveyance. If the bicyclists were on the right side of the road, and as near to the right edge of the road as possible, they were cool.
On to patience, which may be equated with the heavenly virtue of temperance, or restraint, all necessary for safe driving.
Dear Mahatma: A long time ago, maybe in my dreams, tow trucks were required to clean up accident scenes when called to tow the vehicles involved. I remember buckets, brooms, shovels to clean up the mess. Now after tow trucks are gone there are glass, fenders, hoods and loose parts about. Is this a failure of law enforcement not requiring compliance, or do contracting municipalities fail to be specific? -- David
Dear David: Your dream is a reality. Or should be. Police agencies and municipalities have contracts with wrecker services in which the latter are required to clean up an accident scene. The Mahatma has seen more than one of these contracts. And when he was in a collision a couple of years ago, watched as a wrecker guy swept up a mess of shattered glass and crumpled plastic. Sensing the demise of that car, the wrecker guy dumped it all onto the back-seat floor, adding emphasis to injury.
Anyone who sees a mess left behind after an accident should call the local police agency and make a point of this. Better to light a candle than to curse a pile of glass. Was that a mangled metaphor, or what?
Dear Mahatma: Why are some Arkansas handicapped licenses blue and others black? -- Bonnie
Dear Bonnie: This is done to keep you looking. Ha!
The state switched from blue to black five years ago. The blue plates you see haven't reached the end of their service life.
Vanity plate spotted in Conway: CUBS1IT.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 02/04/2017