THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
A letter recently appeared in your paper concerning a Labrador retriever which had gotten away from its owner and was struck by a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, some drivers are very callous when it comes to stopping if they hit a person or an animal.
My office is located on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach. Several weeks ago when I was driving to work, a very large truck was in front of me. The driver slowed down and pulled over to the far right edge of the road, and when he did I noticed a turtle crossing Greenwich Road.
As everyone who has ever driven on Greenwich Road knows, this is really a road where race-car drivers practice. In any event, everyone pulled over to the right and let the turtle go on in safety. However, when it was about midway of the center turn lane, a lot of traffic was coming from the opposite direction. I hurriedly parked my car in the parking lot and ran over to the road hoping that it had not been killed. Much to my gladness, the turtle was beginning to crawl up the handicap cutout on the sidewalk. The driver, a woman, had stopped to wait for him.
If all drivers were as alert as all of these drivers were that day, there would be far fewer accidents involving pedestrians and animals as well as motor vehicles.
CHARLOTTE F. WRIGHT
Norfolk, June 22, 1995 by CNB