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November 10, 2009

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Letter: Open season on pedestrians

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003 | 9:01 a.m.

Far too often one reads of pedestrians hit by passing cars, even if they are crossing a street in a crosswalk. Beyond that, many unthinking folks, such as kids and tourists, fail to understand Las Vegas traffic and miscalculate their chances of crossing a street in traffic.

Meanwhile, aggressive drivers seem to get away with hitting jaywalkers, because the drivers have the right of way. It seems to me that we would have less fatalities if drivers slowed down and gave pedestrians a little more latitude.

We must get beyond such a legalistic attitude in making the pedestrian responsible for an accident. Drivers need to slow down, especially in a tourist town that depends on visitor revenue.

It is time to revisit the local laws, and their enforcement, on crossing a street, and to make sure that vehicle operators are held to the highest level of responsibility when they strike a person who is crossing a street. At the moment, it seems that drivers get away with "murder," if only they can maintain that the pedestrian was not using a crosswalk.

ERIC STEFIK

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