101 ACCIDENTS

Editor:

In reference to the article regarding the two fatal accidents on Highway

101 near the Russian River bridge in Healdsburg that is currently under

construction.

As a commuter on 101, I see many hurried drivers tailgaiting, speeding, and

not paying attention to traffic more than one car ahead of them. Add to this

the many people on cellular phones, engaged in conversation with their

passengers, and just plain aggressiveness, and you get an environment prone to

accidents.

Everybody in the county knows that between Petaluma and Healdsburg traffic

is heavy and slows often every day.

The fact that somebody would get killed in an accident on 101 was

inevitable. It's a shame that other drivers are not being responsible for

their own inattention and instead are trying to blame the contractor

constructing the bridge. Traffic stops without warning along the corridor, and

it's likely that traffic extended beyond the ''road construction ahead'' signs

anyway.

I find it unfortunate that most drivers won't learn from other's

experiences, and will have to be in an accident themselves before they realize

that I am complaining about them.

THOMAS A. FOGLE

Santa Rosa