Douglas Dean: If police were less tolerant of traffic offenses, they’d stop

Re: “Drivers don’t care about traffic laws” (Letters, March 10): The honor system broke down a long time ago, and it’s not like the police don’t have their hands full with more serious issues. But when’s the last time you heard about anyone getting a ticket (or even a warning) for not stopping behind the limit line at an intersection, or for not having their headlights on in the rain, or for blocking an intersection, or for making a U-turn in a downtown business section?

Yes, these are minor offenses. But the police are complicit in promoting these infractions by failing to take action when they see these offenses which, as we all can see, occur in plain sight every 2 minutes every single time we’re on the road.

I understand the police take a lot of guff from anyone they stop. I wouldn’t want their jobs. But if I did have their job, I’d put a little more effort into educating motorists about their irresponsible driving practices. Do the whole job, not just part of the job.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Douglas Dean: If police were less tolerant of traffic offenses, they’d stop."