How fast will
help arrive?

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We've all seen police cars flip on their blue lights when they want to go through a red traffic signal, or make U-turns where they shouldn't, or ambulances or fire trucks go faster than the posted speed limit. So what? If anyone's entitled, they are, and I'd rather they have the flexibility to do so when an emergency arises.

They're not supposed to do that, however, even in extenuating circumstances. Since cops were the ones who gave out the tickets before, it didn't matter. Now we have a kind of officialized vigilante traffic-summons group, taking pictures of scofflaws -- including police, fire and rescue personnel.

We get tickets, we pay fines. If a policeman gets a ticket, even in the performance of duty, he is responsible for it. He'll waste taxpayer dollars spending time in court. If he gets too many tickets, he can be suspended.

So, next time you call 911 in an emergency, think about police unwilling to chance red lights, or firemen unwilling to go fast, or ambulances going out of their way to make a legal U-turn.

--Burl Burlingame

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