SOUNDING OFF:

Back in September there was a near tragedy, on Vista del Oro near Eastbluff Elementary, when a speeding driver lost control of his car and crashed.

The accident got a fair amount of attention, locally. There was some reason to think that sanity might begin to prevail on this narrow two-lane street that connects The Bluffs. Well, forget it.

Recently, a little after noon, I picked up my third-grade son at Queen of Angels, and took Vista del Oro back to our home, for lunch. The speed limit is clearly posted, at nearly every bend in the street, at 30 miles per hour. In a heartbeat my rearview mirror filled up with the bumper of a huge late model Nissan Tundra, the big V-8 model, and I knew the high school was emptying out for lunch.

The driver was obviously trying to push me, and I actually felt my right foot push a little just to mollify him. As I started around a bend in the street, and was probably ticket bait at around 35 mph, the truck suddenly swerved into the oncoming lane, floored it, and raced by me like I was standing still.

The front-seat passenger leaned out of the window and graced me with the customary hand, arm and finger salutes of the day, and added a somewhat weak attempt at a scream. The big Tundra disappeared in a flash.

What to do? My 8-year-old, in the backseat, asked me what had just happened. I kept driving, now back to 30, interested in the fact that I was not surprised. I knew where the driver was headed, so I passed my street, and pulled into the shopping center. I saw the Tundra in front of the bank, all four of its young male occupants piling out, heading for lunch.

As I drove up to the truck I stopped, called 911, and told a Newport Beach Police Department operator what had happened. He asked for the license number of the gray Tundra, and I gave it. He said he would call the high school and report the complaint to the office for follow up with the driver (student).

What’s the point? Five years ago I wrote to the Pilot about speeding on Vista del Oro, and the danger it poses. The latest event merely underscores the need for parents and students that drive in this neighborhood to understand what their speeding could ultimately cost.

This young man could have sped around the curve we were on and taken out a minivan full of grade-schoolers. Or lost just a bit of control and jumped the curb, hitting one or more of the many residents that walk their dogs, or their infant strollers.

The Tundra he was driving is touted as the most powerful truck on the road. Question: Dad, did you talk about this when you gave him the keys?

Enough on my part. There is little chance that the driver will read this, if it’s printed. But I wonder if his parents will, and what will they do.

Here’s a hint: The Pilot would never let me post the license plate number, but the frame has a little Florida motif going on. Moreover, what will everyone who reads this do, when they are driving through the Bluffs, frantically trying to get to school, or go to lunch, or show off for their friends?

It’s simple: Just slow down.

JIM DONNELL is a resident of Newport Beach.