Michael Wandell wrote in his Jan. 6 letter that he learned a bitter lesson when the car he loaned his son to go to Whistler, B.C., was impounded for a week for excessive speed — almost 25 mph over the posted limit. I also seem to recall several motor vehicle deaths reported in The Herald in 2014 where excessive speed was a factor. The attitude that it’s OK to go 55 mph in a 30 mph zone (or 70 in a 45 mph zone or 95 in a 70 mph zone) strikes me as impaired thinking. And like a driver under the influence of alcohol, the driver who ignores the posted speed limits by almost 25 mph ought to be taken out of the driver’s seat until he “sobers up.”
Mr. Wandell seems to be trying to paint British Columbia as the bad guy in this story. I think that the lesson should have been “don’t lend your car to someone who will do excessive speeding or there may be consequences.” As Shakespeare wrote “It is a wise father that knows his own son.” If, however, he feels his son should be allowed to excessively speed, I should quote the idiom that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
I, for one, would feel safer on B.C. roads knowing that the province is trying to do something about speed-related motor vehicle accidents, injuries and deaths. Maybe Washington state could also learn something by consulting with the authorities in B.C., and if their law is working, see if something similar adapted to our legal system might be implemented.
Peter C. Sodt
Camano Island
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