Opinion: Gina yells at red light runners
By Gina Long
When Michael and I collaborate on scheduling articles and assembling the following morning’s newsletter every Saturday evening, Michael leaves a placeholder for my editorial: “Opinion: Gina yells at something.”
I don’t generally yell at things, so when I ask Michael his opinion, his response is often prefaced with a deep sigh and a resigned, “We have very different ideas of what constitutes an editorial.”
But I will yell this week because I am more than annoyed — I am fed up, tired, and asking community leaders to take action.
My fellow Hutchonians, I beseech you:
STOP RUNNING RED LIGHTS
People who blast through red lights often cause t-bone accidents, resulting in totaled cars, expensive medical care, and higher community police, fire and EMS response costs.
Red light runners are so common now that I expect them at nearly every controlled intersection.
On Friday, I took my dog to the dog park. I followed 17th Ave to Severance, turned south, and continued across Avenue G to the park. On the 5-minute drive, I saw vehicles blast through 17th and Plum (turning left through a red light, cutting off cross traffic) and at 4th and Severance. On the way back, we went through Carey Park and north on Main St. In that ten-minute drive, someone with a phone plastered to their ear blasted eastbound at Avenue A. A lady in a van didn’t hesitate to continue through an obvious red light westbound at 4th, and a pickup somehow avoided causing a collision at 5th. At 11th, a van slammed on its brakes as another pickup blew through a light that turned while he was half a block away.
The runners were a mix of young and older, male and female, and each drove a pickup or SUV.
Granted, this is just one afternoon of observation. I compile the police blotter weekly and see a trend of increasingly dangerous intersections.
The Hutchinson Police Department can’t be everywhere, making consistent traffic enforcement difficult.
I propose more punitive measures, beginning with increasing the fines and then doubling the amount for causing an accident and tripling for multiple offenses, much like the more strict punishments for driving while impaired. I don’t know how much leeway local governments have for setting fine amounts or imposing more creative punishments.
Mandatory restitution for vehicle repair or replacement, as well as medical expenses and costs associated with first responders, should be included.
If a vehicle can be towed for an expired registration or insurance, surely it can be impounded until fines and restitution are fully paid or on a payment schedule.
Parents should be held legally and financially responsible for their minor children’s observance of traffic laws.
I encourage everyone to purchase and install a dash camera, preferably one that takes video when detecting a bump for those hit-and-run drivers who seem to have taken over most parking lots. Video evidence can help prove who is at fault in an accident, saving victims from higher insurance premiums.
Car insurance is getting crazy expensive because of the skyrocketing number of accidents caused by distracted drivers and red-light runners. It will take a community effort to mitigate those risks, starting with paying attention and obeying traffic control signals. Those who refuse to follow traffic laws need reminders that driving is a privilege, not a right.
By Gina Long When Michael and I collaborate on scheduling articles and assembling the following morning's newsletter every Saturday evening, Michael leaves a placeholder for my editorial: "Opinion: Gina yells at something." I don't generally yell at things, so when I ask Michael his opinion, his response
