Dear Editor:
Last Monday, my life was threatened. Not by a gun, but by something potentially more dangerous: a car. I was on my bike heading to school just before 9 a.m. As I turned left from the left-hand turn lane on Center Street to go north on 400 East, a car from the south side of 400 East wanted to head east on Center. Instead of making the turn in the intersection, the driver went into the lane of oncoming traffic and cut straight across the center turn lane heading right at me. I seriously thought this was it, but the driver saw me at the last second and came skidding to a halt, then sped away.
I noticed that all of the windshield was covered with frost except for one little hole for the driver to peek through. If the driver had reacted a second later, the car could have been a lethal weapon.
I know that this is not the only incident similar to this. I know people who have been hit and injured. One friend in particular was “lucky” and “only” had to walk around on crutches for a few weeks because the driver did not stop at a red light before turning right.
My point is that a car can be at least as dangerous as a gun or knife when a careless driver is behind the wheel. Please be careful. Take 31 seconds to clear your windshields of ice, take a couple of seconds to look before going and just have your head with you when you drive. To pedestrians, be careful to not place yourself in a position where something terrible could happen.
Jeffrey L. Hagen
Danville, Calif.
