A Simple Tip to Survival on The Golden Gate Bridge & Fast Lanes Without Center Barriers
Few people in the Bay Area are unfamiliar with the Golden Gate Bridge and its southern approach known to locals as Doyle Drive.
On a daily basis, and some seventy years after the Bridge was completed, tens of thousands of vehicles from opposing directions pass within feet and sometimes mere inches of one another with nothing more than a yellow plastic cone separating them!
In 1937 when the bridge and its approaches were completed, the concept of separating oncoming traffic by rigid barriers had yet to be fully developed. Modernly, even with vehicles complying with the posted speed limit of 45 mph, the closure rate between oncoming vehicles remains a staggering 132 feet per second!
As a former Highway Patrolman and Accident Reconstructionist who routinely worked the Golden Gate Bridge, I came to understand that there was no safe place to travel through this extremely dangerous corridor. I also came to realize that a conscientious driver could improve his/her odds of survival by heeding a simple tip.
When a driver makes the choice to travel in the fast lane either on the bridge or its approaches they are truly rolling the dice-of-life. In this fast lane, unlike most others, there is no room or time to react to errant vehicles from oncoming lanes. Alternatively, taking a position in a middle or slow lane away from the center-line gives the attentive driver more time, distance and alternatives to avoid hazards.
Extending time, distance and alternatives to this trap all increase the survivability factor of a head-on collision. The explanation for this phenomenon is relatively simple. The difficulty is attempting to compel drivers to alter their driving pattern for their own sake and that of their loved ones.
To compound the matter, The Golden Gate Bridge is notorious for its crosswinds, low-visibility in inclimate weather and antiquated traffic lanes that are substantially more narrow than the 12 foot lanes of typical California freeways. These factors all contribute to a deadly trap for the unwary, inattentive or ill-concerned.
For this corridor it is not hyperbole to label the fast lane as “The Death Lane.” Here, unlike most other modern roadways the fast-lane is utterly unforgiving. Those who choose to travel in it must know they greatly increase the likelihood of being involved in a head-on collision.
Having been first on scene to multiple fatality accidents in this deadly and highly traveled area, I know all too well the consequences of a moment of inattention or the lure of getting to a destination a few seconds earlier by way of the fast lane.
Save yourself and your loved ones, avoid The Death Lane and all those like it.