Drivers responsible for most traffic collisions

It would appear that Mr. Potter is now agreeable to the Sand Creek Byway provided the final design includes a centerline median. He also has apparently seen the light and recognized that any future bypass design will have to be four lanes with a median, whether above or below ground. This is progress.

No one can hope that a safer Sand Creek Byway project will have his blessing so that construction can get under way to take care of the traffic congestion problems in Sandpoint for the next 10 to 15 years. At the same time, the long tenuous process of designing and approving the ultimate bypass should get started now so that construction can begin in 20 to 25 years. That is provided that the next group of byway opponents and their supporting special interest groups can be brought to bay in that timeframe.

I would further suggest that Mr. Potter invest some of his valuable time reviewing the USDOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Fact Sheets (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) before he discounts the driver's responsibility for the safe operation of his/her vehicle regardless of the design or road conditions. For instance, there were 17,013 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2003 — 40 percent of the 42,643 traffic fatalities for the year. The same year, 39 percent of male drivers 15 to 20 years old involved in fatal crashes were speeding. These fatal accidents were the direct result of the drivers ignoring the basic tenets of operating a vehicle and not faulty road designs.

RICHARD F. CREED

Sagle