As reported in The Columbian, a third teenager has died from injuries received in the June 14 crash on Highway 503 (“Man in court in crash that killed 3,” The Columbian, June 26). Three young lives cut short before these children reached adulthood. Who would have thought of the danger faced in the early afternoon on a Monday?
Untold numbers of lives have been overwhelmed by this tragedy. They will never be the same.
The suspected DUI driver will have his day in court. Justice should be meted out. But what if the bad driving had been detected before, the driver arrested and charged, and the bad driving mitigated?
As a longtime patrol officer, I recall daily traffic enforcement as a large part of every officer’s duties. The departments would also have a squad of full-time, dedicated enforcement units as well as DUI squad(s). This is becoming much less effective today, of course, as personnel shortages have seriously compromised the enforcement mission. A sad situation, courtesy of some oddball ideas.
