Guardrails Are Needed

For the past eight years, I have traveled the Simi Valley Freeway daily from De Soto Avenue to Madera Road and back again and feel there is an urgency to install guardrails since the lip or curb along most stretches of the roadway offers no protection when a vehicle veers out of control.

While state engineers are looking into the erection of a temporary median barrier for the freeway as a result of the recent accident near Tampa Avenue that resulted in three fatalities and injuries, they should also be giving consideration to the immediate construction of guardrails.

Several months ago when I was driving east on the freeway a little past 1st Street in Simi Valley about 5 p.m., a small truck in front of me in the right lane swerved out of control and disappeared into some trees. It was dark and apparently no one else saw it. I pulled over and waited for the police. After 15 minutes, three men on foot approached my car. The first, carrying a flashlight, said the truck landed in his yard. He said that his wife had called the Highway Patrol and that the men in the truck were not hurt. I said, “Thank God,” and proceeded home. I know of two similar incidents.

At various points on the freeway, I have seen black skid marks going to the lip and wonder if they too went over the side. While I am not aware of the statistics of vehicles that have gone over the freeway edge because there is no guardrail, I do know that priority must be given to installing them immediately.

MARILYN WARD FLOYD, Chatsworth