opinion: Speed limit must be lowered for safety of residents, drivers

We are well aware of the State Police/County agreement and points of access rules. What that (and not every safety organization agrees with that study) doesn't take in to account is that we as neighbors have to go out to the road to get our mail, our newspapers, cross the road to go to our neighbors homes, water our plants, cut the grass AND attempt to get out of our driveways without getting run over and killed.

The study says that people driving set the safe speed limit by the 80 percent rule. Yeah, right. The same people that speed up when asked to slow down and almost ran us over today when we were out there after a dog got hit and killed?

The neighbors dog escaped from the yard with the electric fence, it can happen to anyone. Not to mention all the kids in the neighborhood who should be able to go out and play in the country without a car or truck whizzing past them at 50-80 mph. Add people we see talking on their cell phones and texting, and it gets even better.

My husband almost got hit by a truck in the driveway — the driver swerved from something else and came onto the property nearly killing him and taking out the mailbox and bottom of the pine tree.

Two people, two years in a row, have gotten killed at the corner. Dead. Two young people, one in a car and one on a bike.

The people who try to pass on the right when we are trying to turn into our driveways. People passing because someone is driving safely. People slamming on their brakes, again, because we are turning into our driveways.

Coming out of the driveway is also dangerous with the elevation and people cannot see us. But the sign that warns of hidden driveways was taken out by the road commission. Although it has a sign warning about the road not being paved. Hmmm.

Lucas Nursery (drivers are) another grand offender. One driver almost ran my 80-year-old mother off the road, and we see them speeding up when they get to the dirt road as they use Gotfredson as a conduit to their two stores on Plymouth and Ford Roads. I have had their trucks try to pass me on the dangerous curve by the marsh…really great when someone is walking there.

How soon before one our children gets killed? How long do we have to wait for sanity and safety?

We moved out to the country years ago and can't even walk down the road with our dogs or go out to the mailbox without the fear of getting killed. And every year we complain to deaf ears — 23 years for me. It's time to lower the speed limit in residential albeit rural areas where there are families!

Sandra Suarez

Plymouth