Scott Pixley, and the plight of many in similar unfortunate circumstances, has gotten a lot of well-deserved, positive attention by letter writers following Jim Kenyon’s columns (“Prescription-Drug DUI Case Shows Odds Against the Poor,” Nov. 11, and “No DUI Charge, but Case Not Over,” Nov. 15).
But let’s remind ourselves of some facts in response to this sentiment: Pixley was driving without insurance. He allegedly was driving “erratically” on Route 14 (which is narrow, curvy and has high posted speed limits) by repeatedly entering the lane of oncoming traffic. He was driving on a morning after his usual “four or five” hours of sleep, and he was pulled over after being seen by a Hartford police officer crossing the centerline, as was reported by a witness.
Had Pixley not been pulled over, we may be reading about the innocent person, people, family or friends who were killed by a tired and erratic driver (who may or may not have been impaired by prescription antidepressants). And, to make it worse, they would have had no hope of receiving compensation since Pixley did not have insurance and would not have had the money to pay if sued. There should absolutely be a negative consequence placed on Pixley for placing the public at this risk.
Another letter writer assumed that the driver who took the video of Pixley was driving while distracted by assuming he used his cellphone (“Another Distracted Driver?” Nov. 17). I do not know if this was the case. But I do know that many police cars and personal vehicles are equipped with dash cameras.
Finally, I want to point out something to Norwich attorney George Ostler, who was quoted as telling Kenyon, “Being a lousy driver isn’t illegal. … There are lots of those.”
Yes, there are, and often what they are doing is illegal.
James Steele
Windsor
I commend Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill for his Nov. 17 letter reminding us about the victims of car accidents resulting from motorist inattention, distraction, impairment, excessive speed — and fatigue. His letter was in response to Jim Kenyon’s two columns in support of Scott Pixley, whose alleged erratic driving led to his arrest by Hartford police.
My immediate thought after reading Kenyon’s first column was this: You’d be singing a different tune if Pixley had plowed his Chrysler minivan into, say, a Honda Civic filled with first-graders on a field trip. A motorist told police he saw Pixley’s vehicle “on several occasions” cross the centerline. “More than once the van was more than halfway into the oncoming lane.” More than halfway.
In his second column, Kenyon noted he’d spoken with Norwich attorney George Ostler, who “pointed out that Pixley might have just been having a bad day, physically. ‘Being a lousy driver isn’t illegal,’ Ostler said. ‘There are lots of those.’ ”
Yes, there are. And they greatly contribute to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans on our highways each year — basically the same number of deaths on 9/11 every month. Month after month after month after month.
Here’s my thought: every single one of the 7½ billion people on this planet faces challenges. Some might face challenges like Pixley’s — tired from caring for disabled parents, tired from working too many hours, tired from a long commute.
None of these challenges can excuse endangering the lives of innocent people who tragically might find themselves in the oncoming lane.
Andrea Sand
Woodstock
How ironic that Scott Pixley, of Strafford, a decent, respectable young man, was arrested and put in a holding cell because he had taken his prescribed depression medication. Aren’t there more serious situations that could be getting this attention?
His mother has told me that they could not stay in their mobile home if he didn’t live with them, as both she and her husband are not well. I have known this family for years and have every respect for them.
Hazel Lewis
Strafford