To the editor: Michael Schneider's op-ed on traffic deaths in Los Angeles acknowledges that recklessness on the road increased dramatically during the pandemic.
Anyone who walks, bikes, or drives in Southern California will attest to the fact that driving courtesy has declined dramatically over the past four years. Many drivers routinely ignore stop signs and run the first few seconds of red lights.
While Measure HLA will bring welcome improvements to safety and transit options in the city of Los Angeles, it does not address the real and stated cause of traffic deaths: recklessness. What is needed is greater enforcement of basic traffic laws, whether through cameras or officers.
Using Schneider's analogy about a serial killer, the hunt should focus on the killer, not just the road.
Thomas Bliss, Los Angeles
..
To the editor: No one who drives is fazed by the rise in pedestrian deaths.
It is normal to see pedestrians crossing the street looking at their phones. Another stupid move is to enter the pedestrian crossing when the traffic light changes but without looking. That pedestrian would be correct, and possibly correct.
Let's start a movement of honking at the phone zombies to wake them up.
Parrish Nelson Hirasaki, Culver City
..
To the editor: I regularly spend time in the state of Queensland, Australia. In Australia, the road traffic death rate was about 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2021, compared to 12.9 in the US. How do they keep rates so low in Queensland?
- Highway radar cameras calculate the driver's speed between two points. If the posted speed limit is exceeded, a photo is taken and a ticket is issued digitally.
- Sensors embedded in the pavement at intersections detect those who run red lights. Again, a photo is taken and a digital citation is issued.
- Mobile vans move along highways and streets. These also issue digital tickets to drivers who exceed speed.
Until American politicians commit to the common good of our society, we will continue to experience our absurd bloodshed on the roads.
Brian Burd, Santa Barbara
..
To the editor: I don't understand why anyone would be surprised by the near doubling of pedestrian deaths in Los Angeles.
Since the onset of COVID-19, there has been very little enforcement of traffic laws. Ask yourself: When was the last time you saw a speeding driver being pulled over by the police, not to mention all the drivers who ran red lights that were clearly red?
And what about motorists who look at their phones while driving?
I don't know what the police are doing, but they sure don't enforce traffic laws, and the drivers know it.
Laurie S. Adami, Los Angeles
