Whining Or Frustration?

To the Editor:

I don’t think the letter posted on June 20, “Keeping Us Safe,” is actually advocating motor vehicle anarchy. Also, I’m sure the author is a decent person with plenty of consideration for her fellow residents. She’s questioning the use of her tax dollars, and good for her. Many of us get frustrated that everyday, hardworking folks have to pay hefty fines and insurance hikes for simple mistakes. If you intentionally speed and blow red lights you deserve a ticket; however, tickets for minor speed violations and crawling through stop signs when visibility is unlimited can cause people to question things.

The fact that ticket revenue goes to the wasteful government should strengthen the argument that ticketing motorists is mostly fundraising. If the police could keep the money for their department, they could enforce the law the way they see fit, period. We are blessed with a town full of fine police officers; however, they’d probably rather spend more time investigating criminal cases than writing tickets.

If the state wanted to change driving behavior, it would be more difficult to obtain a license rather than simply passing a test that has nothing to do with safe driving, other than in theory. How can the state consider someone safe and not require them to demonstrate one emergency handling maneuver before giving them a license? Speed isn’t the only reason people crash. Seventy percent of accidents can be avoided altogether with proper steering, braking, and throttle inputs by the driver. Speeding is the scapegoat because one can always say, “Maybe if you were going a little slower.” Modern cars have safety features like ABS, traction and skid control, and still people continue to crash often. Even obeying all traffic laws and driving with both hands on the wheel, cars crash without the presence of a speeder. The DMV should encourage people to learn how to drive.

My wife spent $65 to renew her license and they didn’t even check her eyesight or hearing to make sure she was still “safe.” My friend from Texas was ticketed in New York because the rental car he was driving had a GPS on the dash “obstructing his view.” In Chicago, they reprogrammed the camera equipped traffic lights to change from yellow to red in a much shorter interval. The reason given was to battle city deficits. They raised $40 million, but accidents skyrocketed because people didn’t have time to stop. In Virginia, there is legislation which forces drivers to pay up to $3,000 for speeding, tailgating, and obstruction of view. The reason given was to increase revenue to the commonwealth.

As deficits increase, resources are being used for additional traffic enforcement rather than more serious crimes. People are becoming desperate as the economy weakens and violence will probably rise. As effective as the police are, they cannot be everywhere at once. If someone is worried about personal safety from violent criminals, I strongly recommend they apply for a pistol permit and exercise their right to bear arms, while still possible.

Brian O’Connor

Swamp Road, Newtown                                                   June 25, 2008