To the Editor:

This past week has reinforced our society’s problem with car control. The case in point: a woman, with her young daughter in the back of the car with her, repeatedly drove onto crowded sidewalks in Las Vegas with the, seemingly, express purpose of running-down as many pedestrians as possible. Many were injured and one person was killed due to her actions.

Of course, earlier this year there was a very similar incident where a driver purposefully ran into pedestrians on a sidewalk with the purpose of killing and maiming pedestrians. It seems that we’re no longer surprised when we see another incident reported of another case of mass mayhem committed by cars.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association reports that each year nearly 5,000 pedestrians are killed in motor vehicle related accidents. In 2012 alone, there were approximately 76,000 incidents where pedestrians suffered injuries when hit by a car or truck.

Clearly, this is a matter requiring national attention and increased legislation.

Here are some common sense suggestions:

*New common sense legislation increasing the financial liability for car manufacturers who build cars with powerful engines and manual transmissions

*New common sense legislation to begin a national registry to approve/deny car registrations based on prior memberships in questionable associations

*New common sense legislation increasing the jail time for those convicted of vehicular homicide

*New common sense legislation requiring a mandatory, one-day workshop for all car licenses to teach people of the dangers when driving drunk on sidewalks

*A public service program dedicated to alerting people to the dangers of walking on the sidewalk

*An international program ($250 million, in year one) funded by the USA and administered by the UN to alert third world countries that they should be more vigilant in granting car licenses

*A public service program to shame the AAA and MADD for allowing the carnage to continue and for brainwashing their members into acquiescence

I know, I know, you say, this doesn’t go far enough to stop the senseless slaughter of innocent pedestrians. More common sense is required. Towards that end, it must be acknowledged that the blood of future injured and killed pedestrians will be on the hands of those craven politicians who refuse this common sense legislation.

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, a group needs to be assembled to be the public face of this new public relations campaign for common sense car controls. A small but highly emotional cadre of survi-vors of these pedestrian deaths is needed. This group will serve to shame all those who don’t agree to their demands. Of course, equally important will be a correspondingly small but vociferous group of politicians who will use the pain of these survivors and manipulate them into being the puppets of their own craven goal for reelection. The very-clear message: anyone resisting these common sense measures will be branded immoral and an enemy of the state.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter McLoughlin

Pleasant Hill Road, Newtown         December 22, 2015