Traffic fatalities
Traffic fatalities
Stay sober, pay attention to driving
I know, you see lots of letters from me and some of you get annoyed but this one is more serious.
In the paper this morning we see we have had 35 deaths on our island — that’s dead people we will no longer be able to talk to, hug, yell at, see, love. And at least 22 could have been avoided if people would just stop drinking and driving, using drugs and driving, using cellphones and driving.
Wake up, Hawaii, don’t you care about the ones you love? Doesn’t it make you angry when someone you care about dies needlessly? Don’t you get angry at the person who kills them? When are you going to do something about it?
During my round trip to Waimea yesterday I saw no less than a dozen people using their cellphones while driving at 3:15 on the drive home to Kona. One small, white pickup truck actually came into my lane and nearly gave me a heart attack.
Let’s talk to the Police Department and see if we can call in (not 911) to report a driver using a cellphone — car make and model, license plate, male or female and location and time. Maybe they will not get a ticket, but a letter (form letter is fine) saying they were observed using their cellphone would help. I’ll pay for the first hundred stamps.
Frank Dickinson
Kailua-Kona
Police complaint
Irresponsible response
On Nov. 1, my friend and I were walking up Opelo Road in Waimea.
At 4:50 p.m. we were almost hit by a silver SUV pulling a trailer. The vehicle then turned down Hokuula Road and pulled over and stopped.
We walked up to the vehicle and asked the two men inside why they tried to hit us. It was daylight and we were plainly visible.
The driver was so drunk (he held a 40-ounce beer in his hand) that he did not understand what we were saying.
We then walked down to the corner of Opelo Road and Hokuula Road and called the police at 4:55 p.m. We told the dispatcher how drunk the two men were (they were yelling and threatening other walkers) and gave them their location and an excellent description of the two men and their vehicle (their trailer was in the roadway).
We then waited for 25 minutes for the police to arrive. I called again at 5:25 p.m. and was again told that police were on their way.
I waited another 15 minutes, and I again called 911. The police did not arrive until almost 6 p.m. They talked to both men (they were still in the vehicle) and then the police left.
Neither man was arrested.
We tried to be good citizens, called 911 three times, and waited an hour for the police to do their job.
I blame the police for not responding right away. Someday these two will kill with their drunk driving.
Nora Gryder
Waimea
Siren test
A huge mistake
Police Chief Harry S. Kubojiri’s intentions may have been good, but the tsunami sirens blaring in the afternoon of Nov. 1 was a huge mistake.
I had mainland company and was by Hilo Bay at a restaurant. We did not know whether to flee to high ground or ignore it.
The employees of the restaurant did not know and tried to find out.
Our Civil Defense did not know. How in the world could he schedule a test, not at the usual time, run the sirens longer than for a normal test, and without notifying Civil Defense?
Our Civil Defense could have notified the public prior to the test, thus alleviating much stress and anxiety.
Chief Kubojiri, have you never read the story about the boy who cried wolf? Are we just to ignore an unexpected blaring of a siren? I hope in the future, you will be more considerate of other agencies and of our island populace.
Cindy Whitehawk
Kukuiopae