by Debbie Bulger

Imagine a quiet scene. You're walking somewhere. It is the middle of the day. The sun is shining and you're enjoying the leafy shade, listening to the birds. Suddenly, someone approaches you from the side. He points a lethal weapon at you. The safety is off and only a slight pressure could blow you to smithereens.

Sound scary?

I've just described the experience I encounter every day as I walk to work, meetings and shopping in Santa Cruz. The lethal weapon is a motor vehicle.

The slight pressure, if applied to the gas pedal at the wrong moment, could pin my body to the pavement and send me to the hospital or the cemetery in a twinkling.

If I were in charge, I would require all drivers to walk everywhere for a week. Maybe then, they would be more aware how their behavior threatens pedestrians.