It’s wrong to belittle the importance of traffic enforcement.
Safe driving saves lives. Is anything
”
bigger
”
than that?
Traffic enforcement in Morgan Hill has been a hot topic of late among authors of letters to the editor. Some letter writers think the police department’s enforcement is excessive, and that police should be focusing on “more important” matters than drivers who fail to observe speed limits or stop signs. Other letter writers are grateful for the focus on traffic safety.
Count us as part of the latter group.
You don’t need to look further than neighboring Gilroy to learn that traffic enforcement is a critical component of ensuring public safety. Gilroy was without a dedicated traffic enforcement officer for more than a year. During four months of that time period, three pedestrians – including two young boys in crosswalks – were fatally struck by vehicles on Gilroy streets.
While we can’t say for certain that those tragedies wouldn’t have occurred if traffic enforcement had been a higher priority, we can say this: When they’re more likely to be ticketed, drivers follow the rules of the road more closely.
But we don’t have to look to Gilroy. Sadly, we’ve had traffic fatalities in Morgan Hill – deaths in accidents involving street racing and trying to beat trains.
This much should be clear: Traffic enforcement isn’t just a matter of writing tickets for speeding or failing to come to a complete stop. It’s a matter of saving lives.
Traffic rules aren’t minor annoyances meant to give traffic cops something to do; they’re designed to promote safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
We welcome a reputation for Morgan Hill as a place where traffic rules are enforced, because we value the ability to walk on our sidewalks, cross our intersections, ride our bikes and drive our cars safely.
Of course, scarce police resources must be wisely allocated, including to preventing and investigating “big” crimes, which, thankfully, are relatively rare in Morgan Hill.
But traffic enforcement is as important a duty of the Morgan Hill Police Department as any of its public safety responsibilities.
Kudos to the officers of the MHPD for working to make Morgan Hill’s streets – whether as pedestrians, bicyclists or motorists – a safer proposition.
It’s wrong to belittle the importance of traffic enforcement. Safe driving saves lives. Is anything “bigger” than that?
