‘Wild West’ trucks don’t belong in Ga.
Regarding “Big trucks’ threat to Ga. drivers on the rise” (News, Oct. 11), the article was well done but disturbing that the substantial increase in heavy truck and tractor-trailer traffic has not had the effect of better enforcement of safety in driver behavior and equipment. In fact, the opposite is occurring, with less government financial support for law enforcement, with disastrous results. That local law enforcement can’t cite the truckers any longer is bowing to the trucking lobby.
I am not excusing private drivers talking on the cell phone or worse, texting while driving. However, I recently drove I-85 from Charlotte and can attest that the Georgia stretch is a “Wild West” scenario. Although I was driving slightly above the speed limit, I was constantly intimidated to move over so this 80,000-pound behemoth could pass me at speeds reaching 80 mph.
There remain many “knights of the road,” but they usually drive for national companies and are in the minority. The independent truckers answer to no one and view small vehicles as an impediment to them making a living. Never mind that we pay for roads designed to handle heavy trucks. Never mind the use of tire re-treads that fly off trailers, severely damaging cars as well as causing collisions as drivers try to avoid them. Making a living and getting goods to the customer in time should not involve killing drivers of private passenger vehicles along the way.
MAX EPLING, WOODSTOCK
We have enough MLK monuments
In response to “A monument to MLK will crown Stone Mountain” (News, Oct. 11), how many more shrines, streets, monuments and statues does the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have to have? Someone has to say enough is enough. Stop this expensive, extravagant and unnecessary action. There is an MLK monument on the Mall in Washington. The South has its monument to Southern generals. Doesn’t this even the count for major monuments? Count seems to be what this is all about.
The latest numbers of dead of both sides, combined, of the Civil War is close to 750,000. There were men and boys of entire towns on both sides of the conflict who were wiped out in that war. They are the ones who should be honored by all Americans. We have enough monuments to generals and civil rights leaders and MLK in particular. Let’s have more monuments to the 750,000 Civil War dead.
PATRICK KELLY, CONYERS
