Letters: Unsafe and poor drivers endanger us
Traffic on the westbound Long Island Expressway is backed up after an accident that briefly closed down the LIE in both directions in Old Westbury at around 6:45 a.m. Thursday morning, Aug. 7, 2014. Credit: Howard Schnapp
I read with interest two articles about death on our highways, “U.S. traffic deaths up 9%: 19,100 in 6 months” and “Girlfriend defends LIE driver” [News, Aug. 24].
We all drive on our roads and highways, and I’m sure most of us ask, where is the police presence? I drive on different roads on my way to work, and I never see the police enforcing any laws.
People drive above the speed limit, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, and rarely use their signals. Driving at the speed limit is dangerous; speeding drivers cannot contain themselves trying to get around.
Recently, a driver passed me across a double yellow line, and I was driving slightly over the speed limit myself.
Judith Hanson, Fort Salonga
I read about a 74-year-old driver who injured nine people on an open-air dance floor because she mistook her gas pedal for the brake [“She hit the gas, instead of brakes; nine injured,” News, Aug. 23]. One woman later died of her injuries.
Prosecutors were looking into whether to file charges.
Amazing! This wasn’t a case of a driver being surprised by someone jumping out into the street unexpectedly, or a brake seizing up, or a mechanical component of the car malfunctioning. Those are what one would call accidents. But this driver is guilty of inept driving, pure and simple.
The roads are filled with people who should not be driving! These are not accidents. They are irresponsible acts committed by irresponsible people.
Eugene Artemyeff, Glenwood Landing
