The other day I found myself on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road about tenth in a line of slow moving traffic. Mopeds were leading the pack.

Some drivers deftly pass them with minimal lateral margin, others are unable or unwilling to go around them, both conditions exacerbated by the marginal speed differential. Many open roads on the Vineyard have a speed limit of 45 miles per hour. Mopeds are limited between 20 and 30 miles per hour depending on the Massachusetts law or agency you choose to believe; although many mopeds here can be observed exceeding these limits.

Idaho has a simple yet effective law worthy of adoption here in Dukes County, not just for convenience, but public safety as well. It follows:

“Turning Out Of Slow Moving Vehicles. On a two-lane highway outside an urban area where passing is unsafe due to oncoming traffic or other conditions, the driver of a vehicle traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic and behind which three (3) or more vehicles are formed in line, shall turn off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the following vehicles to pass.”

It’s time for this small change. If you agree, bring it to the attention of your selectmen, county commissioner, chief of police, and/or prospective elected official.

Ted Stanley
West Tisbury