Deaths of 10 Palisades Youths

I would like to pass on a recent incident I experienced.

Nov. 4, I’m driving out to a theater opening in the Palisades around 7:45 p.m. I pass the Paul Revere Junior High near Benedict Canyon Drive, heading west on Sunset and close to Will Rogers State Park and traveling the speed limit, I look in my rear-view mirror and see a car approaching at what seems to be a very high speed. I moved over, close to the right, and whooshing past me at least 80 m.p.h. are two young guys in a white VW GTI. They’re doing 80 in and 35-40 m.p.h. zone! These two are being chased by no less than four other cars filled with teen-agers and all speeding by at about 75 m.p.h.! It’s straight away on this stretch of Sunset.

There’s more. The theater lets out about midnight. I’m heading home to Westwood, again taking Sunset and once again I’m passed by speeding teen-agers. Next, I’m stopped at the Benedict Canyon light and up comes a car full of guys who make no attempt to even slow down running the light and continuing up Sunset toward Amalfi Drive!

I’ve got to tell you, I remember back in the ‘60s one didn’t think about racing Sunset anytime because it was patrolled like crazy. I can’t remember seeing a traffic cop on Sunset in years!

Also, what the hell are these kids’ parents doing? Do they even care what their kids are doing? And why are 16-year-old “children” driving cars? I’ve said for years that the minimum driving age should be 21!

As long as we do not raise funds and put traffic patrol cars back on the streets, and kids barely out of grade school are allowed to drive, we’ll continue to have stories like these filling your journal. Speed kills! Disregard for the rules of the road kills! And booze kills!

STEVE BANKS

Los Angeles