LETTERS: MOTORISTS: TRAFFIC LAWS ARE FOR SAFETY

To the editor:

Most of the people who drive in Cape Girardeau are competent, courteous and law-abiding. They reach their destinations safely in spite of the few who either do not know the laws of the city and state or just ignore them. I direct this letter to this latter group. They frequently call Speak Out to complain about the so-called gestapo tactics of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and its pro-active traffic enforcement.

I drive across town several times daily and could cite from one to five drivers per trip for following too closely, failure to signal for a turn, improper lane change, driving across private property to avoid a traffic signal, failure to stop at a stop sign, turning from the wrong lane, speeding and running through a red light. Since I do not have a marked police vehicle, I cannot effect a stop and issue a citation. Therefore, the violation goes unpunished. My blood pressure elevates.

Our nation is based on the premise of an orderly society based on laws that protect the common good. Many times I have had to stop and wait for someone to clear the intersection because he failed to stop for a red light. The yellow caution lights at our intersections last for a minimum of three seconds plenty of time to stop or clear the intersection when the light changes when you are too close to stop safely. I have had people behind me jam on their brakes when I have made a legal stop because they would have gone through anyway as far back as they were.

Police officers are human and do make mistakes. We have a court system for you to plead your case if you feel you are innocent of the charges. The bottom line: The laws and the enforcement thereof are to keep traffic moving in a safe and orderly manner. If you obey the laws, you have no problems. I spent 28 years as a Cape Girardeau reserve police officer and have seen many auto accidents with injuries and death because laws were broken or ignored. Please think about your personal responsibility each time you get behind the wheel of your vehicle and drive in this city or any other in this country.

MELVIN N. GILHAUS

Cape Girardeau