$96 Ticket Issued to Boy Riding Bicycle

The $96 ticket (Letters, June 25) is a fine example of the problem we face as people: lack of personal responsibility. Joanne Thomas maintains that her son slowed down at a stop sign and checked for oncoming traffic. Seeing no cars, her son continued to make his right-hand turn without stopping. Whose responsibility is it to make sure her son knows the bike laws? Shouldn’t it be Thomas’? Or should another government agency (the Department of Pedal Bicycles) be formed to take care of us, create more red tape, and give officials another reason to raise the fine amounts on tickets?

When I learned to ride a bike, my grandfather spent some time with me going over the DMV handbook, making sure I knew what the laws were. What he told me was: Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.

Is $96 too much fine for the crime? I don’t know. Is $18 too much for a parking ticket? I don’t know. But I’ll bet Thomas’ son doesn’t run any more stop signs, and to me that’s what counts.

ROBERT J. BOCK Jr.

Fullerton