Politics & Government

Port Washington Police Commissioners on 'Careless Driving'

A blatant disregard for the law seems prevalent in Port Washington, the commissioners say.

In recent articles and comments by the public it has been mentioned that the is not doing its job. U-turns, speeding and a blatant disregard for the law seems to be widespread these days. Bear in mind, however, that the PWPD cannot be everywhere at once, and that part of the problem is indeed the attitude of the drivers in our community.

We have had crossing guards cursed at and almost run over as their direction to traffic falls on ignorant ears. Some have been injured by arrogant, aggressive drivers. Cyclists see themselves as "superpedestrians," running stop signs and nearly hitting pedestrians as they fly through town. Drivers forget that pedestrians have the right of way and casually roll through a stop sign.

We regularly see parents talking on a hand held device while driving to school, and if you say something you are stared at in disbelief, or told what you can do to yourself. First of all it is illegal to do so, and secondly, what signal are they sending to their children about obeying the law? Can we now decide what laws pertain to us and which we can ignore?

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If we as a society are so busy that we must speed to every place we go, and are forced to multitask while we drive, then it is time to examine our lifestyles, and consider the stress we cause ourselves and the community. If you're a commuter, try to leave a few minutes earlier in the morning. As parents of school age children, consider their safety first. The Board of Commissioners in September will plan to address the parents associations of the schools in town and speak long and clearly about "careless driving": talking/texting while driving, excessive speed, and treating stop signs as suggestions rather than laws.

We are currently involved in a traffic safety initiative, which will more aggressively address the problems and those who cause them. We will do our part, but we need to be in this together. Port Washington is a great community. We all need to do a better job of looking out for our neighbors, and get them to look out for us as well.

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Is there room for improvement? Of course. We can always do better. We welcome all comments and criticism by responsible citizens. We continue to ask the public for ideas, suggestions and "hot spots" where laws are being disregarded. If there are any future questions or comments for the PWPD we will be happy to read them and follow up where necessary. In the meantime, we continually advertise our public meetings, and ask you to attend to voice your opinions and concerns.

We are all in this together. Together we can get it done.

The authors of this post – James Duncan, Dave Franklin andAngela Lawlor-Mullins – serve on the Board of Commissioners of the Port Washington Police District.


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