Letter: Motorists’ disregard for driving safety endangers everyone

EDITOR,
I don’t live in your town but come here a couple times a week for business. I have spoken to many residents about how much they love to live in Scotts Valley — the weather, the community feel and the safety seem very appreciated. I have checked into the price of living here and found that it seems to run on the high end for Santa Cruz County so for this reason I have a suggestion: If you live here, I would like you to demand that the police department park at each and every intersection in town and ticket every driver that runs the red light, is talking on their cell phone, or both. I have seen this first-hand on many, many occasions and am appalled that it isn’t addressed. I have seen, not just one, but numerous cars blatantly go through an intersection on a red light, with people in crosswalks and the cars with the green light already making their way through the intersection. I personally have seen many middle fingers when I have had the nerve to go on the green light without realizing that someone in their huge SUV doesn’t have the time to wait until the next time their light turns green to go and there is almost an accident. I have witnessed kids and elderly people in the crosswalk at the Nob Hill shopping center being narrowly missed by the cars that don’t understand traffic laws. The resident of Scotts Valley should demand that their families are safe while walking and driving. I live in San Jose so I am used to traffic, but I have never witnessed so many people who are oblivious to the fact that their bad driving could kill someone. I would have to think that it would take someone being badly hurt, or heaven forbid, killed before the people of this town speak up and demand that their roads are safe. Thank you for letting an out-of-towner have his say. I don’t know that it will matter, but at least I tried.
Bruce Petersen, San Jose