Traffic laws save lives

I would like to respond to Josh Goldstein's complaint of Dec. 18 that the sheriff's department is giving traffic citations rather than preventing or solving cases of theft and vandalism by applauding the sheriff's department. Vandalism and theft are property crimes while traffic citations are used to enforce laws meant to protect life.

I am a nearly lifelong bicycle commuter, but when I was younger, and after coming to a full stop, I was waved through a four-way stop by a driver on the street perpendicular to me. The driver facing her in the other direction also seemed to be stopped for me, though I couldn't see his face because his windows were darkly tinted. That driver resumed driving just as I was about to pass in front of him.

Although I was usually a cautious bicyclist before, I'm more so now. Drivers often don't seem to see bicyclists or pedestrians, and distracted drivers are even less likely to see those vulnerable users of public rights of way. That is why we established laws against driving while talking on cellphones. It may be inconvenient to pull over before making a call, but it's the right thing to do.

I encourage all road users, including drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, to obey traffic laws, and I encourage law enforcement officers to continue to issue citations when those laws are broken. Traffic laws are designed to and do protect lives. Jan Dougall Agoura Hills