I was not surprised when I read in that a police officer was injured and dragged by a vehicle on Hana Highway (The Maui News, Aug. 26) during the Paia Fourth Friday celebration.
A friend asked me to meet her for dinner at 6 p.m. in Pukalani. I was hesitant, because I knew what usually happens during this event in Paia.
When I was driving home around 7:30 p.m., unfortunately on Hana Highway through Paia, I saw the mess of traffic and the police officers trying to control the situation.
There is no way that I can bypass Paia town to get past Baldwin Avenue on Hana Highway. The bypass to Baldwin Avenue is not the answer, because traffic still ends up at Hana Highway. In Makawao and Wailuku, the drivers who are drunk or stoned on something can't threaten the pedestrians or police officers with their vehicles.
I know that I will never venture from my house again on Fourth Fridays. There is no way to avoid the craziness of some people.
I am very grateful that the police officer wasn't killed. And I hope that for once the courts will punish the offenders to the max. A moving vehicle is a deadly weapon.
Lynn Austin
Paia
