The focus should be on the drivers

This letter is in response to The Acorn's articles of June 7 and June 14 relating to the recent pedestrian and bicycle accidents in the area. As a result of your reportings, one is left with the distinct impression that it was solely the pedestrian's or bicyclist's fault for being hit. Furthermore, in the bicycle accident in the June 14 article, your paper reported that a lack of visibility was cited as the cause of the accident. Why didn't you mention the motorist's responsibility in these accidents?

According to the California Vehicle Code, motorists must respect the rightofway of others. Rightofway rules, together with courtesy and common sense, help to promote traffic safety. It is important to respect the right-of-way of others, especially pedestrians and bicycle riders. While this might come as a shock to some motorists, bicyclists do have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers on public streets.

Instead of only offering "strong words of caution" for bicyclists and pedestrians, why don't the sheriff's department and your paper advise drivers to slow down, pay attention to the road and their surroundings, and provide helpful driving practices to motorists, such as scanning the road ahead and keeping a safe distance around their vehicle at all times?

Remember, it takes two to have an accident. Craig Kunesh Calabasas