By RONDA GRAFF

As much as I'd like for our community to be bicycle centric, the reality is we need vehicles to get to work and school, for farming, or just to travel.

That being said, my family does rely on bicycles and motorized scooters for a lot of our transportation.

This means co-existing between two-wheel and four-wheel (and more) vehicles on the road.

There are many laws we all must follow, whether we are driving a motorized vehicle or riding a slower mode of transportation. But ultimately, showing a bit of courtesy and respect on the roads would make our roads not only safer but better for everyone.

I experience this on a daily basis as I know I test people’s patience on my little red scooter. I struggle to get up to the speed limit on the highway but I'm not just putt-putting along either. Frequently cars will catch me on the highway as we reach the south edge of McCook. 

Knowing that the speed limit will soon drop as we pass the city limit, most cars just stay behind me.

But occasionally - and more often from an out-of-state vehicle - a car will skim close by my scooter as they pass me. Nothing illegal or wrong about it except nine times out of 10, I will catch the vehicle at the stop light. 

I'm no saint when it comes to following slow vehicles. More than once I have had to take a deep breath and remind myself that an extra minute behind a tractor on its way to a field or grandma on her way to the grocery store is just a minor inconvenience and not life altering.

This was a lesson I learned the hard way, caught speeding and then taking a STOP class to eliminate points from my license..

My main takeaway from the class: Speeding in town? Bad. Speeding across the country? OK.

The instructor noted that being in a hurry across town was not only unlawful but also pointless. What were you gaining by going 5 mph over the speed limit? An extra 30 seconds? You can gain that much time each day if you simply hang up your keys in the same spot.

On the other hand, if you are driving across a couple states, an extra 5 mph adds up, possibly cutting an hour off your travel time. I'm not sure if he was supposed to tell us that trick but it has stuck with me for decades. 

Drivers don't have to slow down behind me on my scooter but when they do pass me and reach the intersection first, I say a silent thank-you for tripping the stop light since my scooter is not only slower but also not heavy enough to change the light. They actually helped make the road a little bit better unknowingly.

While determining how fast or slow you drive or whether you should pass or not is determined by laws, there is another public arena that isn't regulated in Nebraska: funeral processions. 

Nebraska has no statewide statutory laws governing funeral processions, meaning rules depend entirely on local city ordinances, right-of-way and ordinary care.

McCook police regularly assist processions across town to the cemeteries but they can't force other drivers not to cut in. So that's where the laws in place come in.

Right-of-way laws apply to funeral processions because vehicles in a continuous procession hold the right-of-way at intersections, but individual drivers must still exercise ordinary care. If a vehicle gets detached or separated from the main line, it loses its special right-of-way status.

Ultimately there shouldn't have to be a law in place to show respect for the recently deceased as they make the way to their final resting place, as well as their family and their friends accompanying them on their journey. 

Again, we need to remember that waiting by the side of the road as a funeral procession passes adds maybe a minute or two to our commute time. But it provides an immeasurable amount of pride and respect for the family passing by.

Whether it is a somber occasion such as a funeral procession or enjoying the open road on a two-wheeled cycle, we can all share the road with courtesy and respect and most importantly, we can all get to where we are going safely.