EDITOR'S LETTER

Please Drive Carefully
Historic Route 66. That’s our cover story this month. Actually, we have four features on the Mother Road, along with a piece about the Vatican’s telescope on Mount Graham, a story on giant ground sloths and a profile of Rachel Tso.

You probably don’t know Rachel Tso. I don’t know her, either, but when I heard about the remarkable work she’s doing at a charter school in Northern Arizona, I was impressed. The school is called STAR (Service to All Relations), and Rachel leads the place-based media-arts curriculum there. Among other things, she and her students produce award-winning documentaries about Southwestern Native American culture.

It’s more than just filmmaking, though. As Annette McGivney writes in Rachel Tso: On Location, “She’s also showing students how to succeed in life and connect with their culture and landscape.” Like so many teachers, Rachel is one of those unsung heroes who make our world a better place. She loves what she does, and she’s extremely proud of her students. That’s why we didn’t pull our story when we learned that Rachel and two of her children were struck by a car in a Flagstaff parking lot. Fortunately, Rachel and her 8-year-old daughter, Bahozhoni, survived. Tragically, her 3-year-old son, Zaadii, died a few hours later at Flagstaff Medical Center.

As I write this, we’re about 36 hours from going to press. It’s rare that we ever “stop the presses” or make last-minute overhauls to the magazine; however, in this case, we weren’t sure what to do. We wanted to do what was best for Rachel and her family, but it wasn’t clear, so I asked Annette for some input.

“I definitely think the story should run,” she told me. “I know that Rachel will be as committed as ever to her work at STAR, which is so important to her. This story was such a bright spot for her before the accident, and maybe now it will be even more so.”

I was grateful for the input. And then Annette said, “Maybe you could mention something in your column about what happened — she could use some positive energy from Arizona Highways and its readers.”

So, we’re running the story, and hoping for some positive energy. We’re also hoping that something else comes out of this tragedy: more responsible drivers. Every year in Arizona, about 800 people die on our public roadways, and that doesn’t include what happens in shopping-center parking lots. The day after Rachel’s accident, the Flagstaff Police Department released a statement: “[We] would like to remind all motorists that they should always remain alert and cautious, especially when driving in areas where pedestrians are prevalent, such as in private property parking lots.”

The word “Highways” is in our title, and almost every story we publish is intended to inspire readers to hit the road. Therefore, we have a vested interest in highway safety, and motorists who are alert and cautious. Regardless of what you drive — a lightweight Prius or a 7,000-pound F-250 — getting behind the wheel is a tremendous responsibility. And there are rules that go along with that. Among them: Don’t drink and drive, use your turn signal, and obey the speed limit, especially in school zones. Also, if you need glasses, get glasses. If you need mascara, put it on at the office, not in the car. And never text and drive. It seems so obvious, but Arizona is one of only two states in the Union — Montana is the other — that don’t have a law that bans texting while driving.

I don’t know what caused the deadly crash in Flagstaff — the details are still being investigated — but this much I do know: A mother and her two children were walking in a clearly marked crosswalk, almost to the curb, expecting to make it from Point A to Point B. They were doing everything right when something went terribly wrong.

“I’ve never felt such pain, and I know it’s not going to stop.”

Rachel posted that on Facebook the day after the accident. It’s one sentence from a courageous piece of writing that left everyone here in tears. We know that our story isn’t going to ease her pain, but maybe it will offer a respite. And maybe her tragic loss will serve as a reminder that we, as drivers, take on a tremendous responsibility when we hit the road, whether we’re headed to Mount Graham, Historic Route 66 or a shopping center in Flagstaff.
 

COMING IN JUNE...
Next month, we’ll showcase some of the state’s best trails in our annual Summer Hiking Guide. Plus, we’ll take you to Schultz Pass, five years after the fire of the same name devastated the area.contributors.