Courteous Drivers Have Seen the Lights

The last thing most drivers want before the holiday is to have a patrol car pull them over with lights flashing.

But in Moorpark, such stops could have a happy ending, as Ventura County sheriff’s deputies are ticketing drivers for being courteous.

Deputy Brad Clifton rewarded five people Monday for their driving as part of a weeklong program sponsored by the Moorpark Kiwanis Club and the city’s law enforcement officials.

Recipients will be recognized at a Kiwanis Club dinner next month where they also will receive a basket of prizes donated by local merchants, said Bob Cheney, a Kiwanis member who accompanied Clifton on his two-hour search for good drivers.

One driver who was stopped said courtesy is not a big deal for her--that’s the way she always drives.

“I try to avoid accidents, because I have two children and you never know what can happen,” said Shannon Pashley of Newbury Park.

Clifton said this was the third year he has rewarded drivers for being courteous, but the first in Moorpark. The previous occasions, he said, were in Thousand Oaks.

Finding courteous drivers “is actually hard to do,” he added.

Last year, Clifton said, he had to drive around Thousand Oaks for eight hours before finding just three drivers worth rewarding.

On Monday in Moorpark, he hit that mark in less than 90 minutes.

The first driver, Walt Kenny of Moorpark, waited patiently for a couple to cross the street before making a left turn onto Tierra Rejada Road.

Kenny said his son, Andrew, saw the police lights and wondered what was wrong.

“I told him, ‘Daddy’s getting a ticket,’ ” he said.

Kenny was a good sport, thanking Clifton and Cheney for the dinner.