Letter to the Editor: Condolences and Road Awareness

To the Editor:

The July 11th fatal accident with two young men is a tragedy. (see previous article)

It is so easy to make that mistake of driving too fast. It can particularly be a thrill on a motorcycle and... most of the time there is no cost.

I'd guess most of us have gotten away with some risky behavior at some point in our lives. These are the unfortunate ones. May their friends and family be comforted during this difficult time.

I also wish this for the driver of the SUV. No doubt, it is a tragedy in his life, as well. I am grateful that he was not cited and held responsible for the deaths.

Learnings

The thing the article didn't say, is that the motorcyclists were likely invisible with the blindingly low sun directly behind them.

We need to not only take care that we are driving at a legal speed, but also that we are able to see what might be there. It's not enough to just "not see anything". One needs to be able to see the road and its emptiness, especially when changing directions. When that is not possible, very slow movement in advised, even if waiting drivers are impatient.

Similar experiences of being blinded by oncoming traffic's piercing LED headlights is also making the roads less safe during dusk, dawn, and at night. Please be patient with drivers who are slow to turn. From their position they may not be able to see as much of the intersection as drivers further back because of these kind of factors.

Ginger Hayra Gunn

Shoreline