EDITORIAL : FLOODING IN THE FAST LANE; CALTRANS SHOULD REPORT ON THE COST TO FIX FREEWAYS.

HEAVY rain floods the fast lanes on many Los Angeles area freeways.

That was an infrequent problem in the drought years of the '90s.

But it has become a serious problem with terrible consequences during this waterlogged winter of El Nino.

Thousands of crashes have occurred, with hundreds injured and a few killed.

Speeding drivers, going too fast for the road conditions, deserve much of the blame.

But drivers also have faced pools of water on freeways - as a result of rainfall rates that exceeded the capacity of the drainage system.

In part, that is a problem due to decisions made years ago by the state Transportation Department and other officials.

On some freeways, designers anticipated that the left shoulder would flood during storms. They continue to flood even after freeways have been restriped to accommodate more cars, with the former shoulder now used as the fast lane.

There are solutions, but they involve cost. Some say it doesn't normally rain enough in Los Angeles to justify paying the high cost of installing and maintaining drainage pipes along all freeways.

On the other hand, there has been incalculable property damage, human suffering and fatalities associated with freeway flooding.

Caltrans needs to make a full inquiry into the situation and come up with cost estimates for fixing the problem.

Once a report is made public, it might become apparent that the cost is prohibitive and Caltrans can only reduce, not eliminate, the problem.

But first the facts must be known, before decision makers can weigh the options. Caltrans needs to investigate and make a complete report.

Meanwhile, drivers need to slow down. Excessive speed is a grave error, especially when freeways, highways and streets are wet.

That also goes for drivers of increasingly popular sport-utility vehicles, which cruise merrily through pools of water.

High-profile ``sport utes'' can throw drenching torrents on cars in adjacent lanes, causing visibility problems and loss of control for other motorists, with potentially catastrophic effects.

Thus, even drivers who believe they and their vehicle can handle the bad weather ought to slow down to promote safer conditions for all.

You might be in a big hurry behind the wheel of your V-8 bruiser, but is it worth it to zoom along if you're leaving collisions, injuries and suffering in your wake?