Serve and protect

(This letter was originally addressed to Sheriff Bob Braudis and the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners.)Dear Editor:I am deeply concerned by the increasing number of vehicle accidents happening in Pitkin County. As the sheriff and the commissioners of Pitkin County, it is your obligation to protect the residents of Pitkin County. I feel threatened by the aggressive driving habits of people who drive on the roads and highways in Pitkin County.Sheriff Braudis, you stated in a recent article in The Aspen Times (“Fatalities on the rise on Hwy 133,” May 21) that “Enforcement is not the answer,” rather, reducing the number of accidents on Hwy 133 is a matter of compliance with speed limits. Sheriff Braudis, I disagree with your view. Enforcement is not the answer? Compliance does not seem to be the answer either.Nowhere in Pitkin County is the posted speed limit more than 55 mph. Yet, I am passed daily by countless drivers of cars, RFTA buses, dump trucks, tractor trailers, cement trucks, Pitkin County vehicles, city of Aspen vehicles, Waste Management trucks, etc. Drivers are not complying.It is up to you, Sheriff Braudis and Pitkin County commissioners, to request and/or demand that our state representative pass laws making penalties for crimes involving vehicles more than a hand slap. I would like to see laws passed that make it illegal to drive while on a cell phone. I would like severe penalties given to those stopped for speeding that have children in the car. Our family members, friends and neighbors are getting severely injured, crippled and killed. We should not be calling these incidents “accidents.” People choose to drink and drive. People choose to drive faster than the posted speed limit. People choose not to put their kids in car seats.This is a formal request, and I would appreciate a reply regarding my concerns. What are you going to do about aggressive and dangerous driving in Pitkin County? I would like to see Pitkin County set a precedent for our country, by making our highways the safest instead of the most dangerous.Kim VieiraAspen Village