Editor:
Re: KTW editorial of Feb. 19 (‘Saving young drivers a must’):
I read the editorial and the “stark” statistics regarding young drivers killed in B.C. between 2004 and 2013 which is 106 within a nine-year period.
I am curious what the numbers were for adult drivers and passengers killed in that same nine-year period.
I have a memory of electronic speed enforcement being introduced and discarded years ago. Now the proposal is to place them in “high-risk areas” because of teenage deaths?
How is this going to prevent a teenager from making a bad decision before getting into a vehicle or while driving? I suspect this is once again the introduction of electronic speed enforcement to enable the government to garner increased speeding fines to line the coffers in the easiest way possible.
Absolutely no one wants to see anyone die, especially young people, but they do — and in different ways.
It is the same as adults, some of whom who make bad decisions, just like the teens.
Sending speeding tickets out to people who happen to drive over the speed limit in a “high-risk area” (I wonder who determines that and who knows where teenagers drive and what the high-risk areas are for them?) will not prevent deaths if people, young or old, do not make wise decisions.
I get frustrated with the manipulation of people by using “stark statistics” to play on emotion and fear. I get frustrated when our justice system actually has a chance to protect the public from a person who is a proven hazard on the road, who has proven they will not desist driving, who causes the death of an unsuspecting human being and who is given a light smack on the wrist because they had a tough past.
This person gets a pass on being accountable for inexcusable behaviour, but can we send out more speeding tickets the easy way and collect more money and call it keeping the public safe?
Sure we can — if people can be convinced by way of “stark” statistics.
One more point: There has been a decline in revenue collected for parking in the downtown Kamloops area (as reported in the Feb. 19 edition of KTW).
Let’s pretend it is not because of the new kiosks, people avoiding downtown due to frustration with them and the high price of parking.
Here is an idea. We can make up that revenue by sending out electronic speeding tickets, considering the electronic kiosks are failing to live up to expectations of revenue collection.
Sigh.
Sharon Huuha
Kamloops
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