Speak up to police about speeders

To the editor: I read with interest Mr. Larry Rapp's letter "West Maude Avenue a regular raceway" March 17. I too live on West Maude, and have observed speeding traffic during the morning and evening hours.

It's one thing to write a letter and complain publicly in a newspaper, asking why the police don't set up a trap for speeders, but did you ever think about contacting the police?

I did, and I must say I was very grateful for their quick action. Last fall I observed a speeding black sedan every morning around 8:05. several times I yelled out to the driver to slow down, but every morning it was the same. This driver had no respect for other drivers, and would pass several cars at a time.

One day I finally had enough, and copied down the license plate number, and went to the Arlington Heights police. I met with a watch commander and explained my concerns regarding this reckless driver, and gave him the vehicle description and to number. You can imagine my surprise and gratitude three days later when I got a call from the commander.

It seems the daredevil was clocked at 46 mph on West Maude at 8:10 a.m. The driver had been stopped three times in the last year for speeding.

This is our neighborhood, so my advice to you, Larry: Talk with the police and tell them about the speeding vehicles that you have observed, and I bet you too will be pleased with the results.

Don't be afraid to speak up, because by doing so you might just save the life of an innocent person. I have seen the black sedan that I brought to the attention of the police many times, and I'm happy to report that since his traffic stop he is always doing the speed limit.

When the word gets out that the neighbors on West Maude will not tolerate speeding and reckless driving, we will start to see the speeding incidents drop.

Jim Eriksen

Arlington Heights