Running Red Lights Can Turn Streets Red With Blood Letter Of The Week: From April 17

I work in one of the businesses at the intersection of Browne and Sprague. It’s rare for a week to go by without us seeing an automobile accident. Just this last weekend we witnessed a three-car collision.

The sad part is that this accident could have easily been prevented. Like most of the accidents we see here, this one was caused by someone running a red light.

This isn’t just a problem on this street; recent statistics indicated that the number of people running red lights lately is triple the usual number.

Is it too much to ask the drivers of Spokane to show a little consideration and common sense, and actually stop at a red light instead of just plowing right through it?

I know that hot date, business appointment or whatever you’re racing to seems like the most important thing in the world to you. Believe me, getting there 30 seconds earlier isn’t worth risking your life or anyone else’s.

Raise your head from the paper for a moment and take a look at the people around you. Would shaving half a minute off your travel time be a fair trade for the chance to attend their funeral?

That might sound like an exaggeration to some of you. I assure you it’s not. One of my co-workers has seen three people die in this intersection in the past six years. All of us here would be grateful not to have to see anyone else get loaded into an ambulance, especially with a sheet drawn over their face. Roy Cowan Medical Lake

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