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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Some drivers need to retire

With autumn upon us, it will soon be that time of year again: snowbird season. I dread the fall and winter every year, because of the influx of senior drivers that do not belong on our roads.

I realize this is an unpopular topic, but I believe that the subject bears discussion. A few days ago, my husband and I were almost involved in what could have been a fatal traffic collision in Largo.

I was driving our car northbound in the far right lane of Seminole Boulevard, proceeding through a green light, and going below the posted speed limit, when I nearly got rammed sideways by an elderly woman in a large car making an inappropriate right-hand turn from Ulmerton Road. Luckily, I was able to jam my brakes and prevent us from injury. When I pulled up alongside the perpetrator, she gave no acknowledgement of her mistake or that she had even noticed us there.

Sadly, occurrences like this are far too common. Our roads are cluttered with seniors driving 10 to 20 mph below the speed limit in all lanes, impeding commuters and creating dangerous situations and opportunities for "road rage."

Oftentimes, I'll be stopped at a traffic signal and see the whole line of traffic next to me completely miss the turn signal because the first driver does not have his bearings and evidently can't see the light.

That's to say nothing of the elderly drivers who go the wrong way down one-way streets (First Avenues N and S in St. Petersburg are excellent examples), make unsafe turns and plow blithely through crosswalks on Gulf Boulevard. These drivers are a nuisance at best, and a serious accident waiting to happen at worst.

I hate to generalize, as I have met many seniors with excellent driving sense who have no issue "keeping up" with the safe and orderly flow of traffic here in Pinellas County. I am sure that this letter will be met with angry retorts about irresponsible teen drivers, those who use cell phones while driving, etc. It would be foolish to say that certain seniors are the only bad drivers around.

However, my thoughts today concern only them. There are laws against speeding and against driving while impaired in any way. We have a minimum driving age; why should we not have a maximum driving age as well? Or instead, why are drivers over a certain age (say, 65) not required to submit to annual vision and hearing testing at their own expense if they still want to operate a moving vehicle? The revenue from such an initiative could surely be put to excellent use, such as the ongoing improvement of our roadways.

Those of us who make a point of driving safely are entitled to protection from drivers who have no business on the road.

S. Nguyen, Largo

Bay unable to clean itself

Debate is taking place over the (proposed) sale of the J.C. Weaver property to Dunedin.

I recently had a front porch discussion on the subject with a fellow 84-year-old, lifelong friend.

We recalled what fun and adventure we had growing up in Dunedin and swimming, fishing, boating and camping along the banks of St. Joseph Sound. How clear the water was! We both lamented the conditions that exist today, with a stagnant bay caused by the dredging and pumping that closed the bay to natural tidal cleansing of the water and the renewal of life it brought.

With the bay unable to clean itself, a slow death began 60 to 100 years ago, caused by the dumping, at first, of raw sewage into the bay. In 1948, then-Mayor Sam Davis had a sewage treatment plan built under the leadership of Col. O'Connor, city manager and civil engineer. The plant location was chosen at the lowest elevation in Dunedin, on the discovery that "stuff" runs downhill.

At first, the treated discharge was piped to the water's edge at what is now the Weaver property. Later, the waste from the Hood industrial plant was added to the effluent, making an unholy stink along the bay shore. This was corrected by extending the effluent pipe farther out into the bay to spread its toxic brew.

Before the government spends taxpayers' money for this property, we think a thorough study of water quality in the bay and subsurface ground conditions on the upland portion of the property should be made to determine if there is any hazardous material present that would affect the health and safety of the users of this property onshore or in the bay.

If any is present, the cost of remediation should be added to the already inflated price of the property.

Robert M. Tharin Sr.,Dunedin

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 20:39:43]