I'm a friend of Makayla Tierney's family. I cannot believe that people in Sunnyvale do not watch out for the safety of children. I live in Florida, and the laws here are for the children. In school zones here there are flashing lights and a cop. If someone gets caught speeding through a school zone, there is a consequence, and the fine is not cheap. It does wake people up to realize that if you speed you pay.

To know that children have been hit by cars so many times in your city—and the public safety department finds the children at fault—means there is something really wrong with your laws.

If a driver hits someone, that is the driver's fault because they weren't paying attention, and drivers shouldn't be going so fast that they are unable to stop.

I'm truly concerned for the children and who's on their side.

—Lynn M. Bondanza, Florida


Public Safety avoids real issue saying peds at fault

I read your article about Makayla Tierney, who was hit by a car near Columbia Middle School. I was disturbed by the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety statement that in the other incidents the department found the "juveniles to be at fault."

My son and three of his friends were walking to school in November and crossed the street at Bayview. There are no crosswalks, and, mind you, there were four children crossing in a group. The person driving the vehicle that hit them was turned around, looking at his back seat, when he hit three of the four boys as they crossed the street.

The public safety officers classified this as the juveniles' fault. I hardly consider it their fault. Saying that the pedestrians are at fault detracts from the real issue. The real issue is that there needs to be more crosswalks, crossing guards, police patrols, etc.

Thanks for your article. I sincerely hope that the traffic unit revisits this issue.

—Susan Tulowitzki, Sunnyvale