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Stop! In the name of love!

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By RON RAE

The Rae Way

Published: October 17, 2009

If not a banner song, it's a theme often used by survivors who have dealt with senseless acts of murder that cause too little grief to red-light-runners (RLR) speeding their way through intersections along roads to nowhere but dead ends.

Unknown to most people, until they themselves face a lifetime of unrelenting sorrow, there are foundations that seek stricter laws that go beyond punitive fines for actions that result in death(s).

The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, based in Washington, D.C., is a public advocacy group whose focus is on all traffic safety issues. Jeff Agnew, communications director, says there are more than 400 communities in 25 states that have or plan to install red-light cameras.

Ann Sweet, national survivor spokesperson for the organization, has spent more than a decade traveling the country promoting the use of red-light cameras in hopes of sparing others the grief of losing loved ones caused by RLR in Warsaw, Ind.

Ann's 21-year old daughter, Shawnee Ulrey, was days away from joining her fiancé in holy matrimony. Flowers meant for the wedding were instead draped over a casket.

As Shawnee was following her husband-to-be across a four-lane highway to drop her car off for repairs, the scene in his rearview mirror was of a semi-trailer truck running a red light, ending the life of his beloved. Ann's own grief didn't end there. Three months later, her husband died from a stress-related heart attack. As the two of us conversed, moments of silence were a means of collecting my emotions. Ann was very understanding.

Even now, as I stare at the keyboard before me, I pause before relating another tragedy in another part of the country.

In Arizona, the state with the highest number of deaths due to RLR, the Red Means Stop Coalition was instrumental in the passage of "Jennifer's Law," which now charges red-light runners who maim or kill a fine of up to $1,000, have their driver license suspended and possible jail time. Although victim's families can receive restitution of up to $10,000, it's not much more than the cost of a respectful funeral and still too lenient for an act of murder.

The story behind Jennifer's Law is another heart-wrenching loss where the 17-year-old was killed by an 18-year old man who attended the same school as Jennifer. Two months after her death, Frank Hinds, Jennifer's father, sat in an auditorium as the young man attended graduation ceremonies. Jennifer would have also received her diploma if not for the tragic accident that happened during a school lunch period. Jennifer died. The man, a $500 fine.

Closer to home, Melissa Wandall of Brandon, established the STOP! Red Light Running Coalition of Florida in 2004. Her story is but one more instance of an unjust system.

On Oct. 24, 2003, Mark Wandall was killed in a right-angle collision when the vehicle driven by Melissa's brother was struck broadside by a RLR that hadn't even applied the brakes as it traveled nearly 50 mph through the intersection. Melissa's brother sustained serious injuries — a torn aorta and a broken pelvis. Although the three children and their parents in a third vehicle escaped injury, they were nonetheless traumatized and joined eight other survivors in a hospital emergency room.

Mark passed away less than a week after his and Melissa's first wedding anniversary and 19 days before the birth of their only child, daughter Madison Grace. The RLR was "sentenced" to 60 hours of community service and a $500 fine. Within a year, the court ruled that the community service was just punishment and nullified the fine even though the driver had 10 points on the driver license, seven previous violations and one ticket.

As a result of her loss, Melissa Wandall formed The Mark Wandall Foundation "to support and nurture children who have experienced loss in their lives and to educate and raise awareness regarding traffic safety and compliance."

The Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, after five years in the making, was re-introduced on Oct. 5 by Sen. Mike Bennett and Rep. Ron Reagan, both Republicans from Bradenton. Senate Bill S294 will be up for consideration in the 2010 session of the Florida Legislature. The House version has yet to be filed. But there's a long track of previous legislations that never made it through the political process in Tallahassee.

Past bills, H439, S2688 (2004), H1439, S2252 (2005), H259, S2614 (2006), and H1247, S2558 (2007) all failed passage. Last year, H351 was passed in the House but Senate Bill S316 allocated so much of the money to state funds that cities and communities would have been left with insufficient funds to install and operate additional cameras.

Melissa feels very confident The Mark Wandall Safety Act will soon reach approval.

Columnists note: Due to the fact that the e-mail address hernandoron@yahoo.com was compromised this past Sunday, the new address is theronraeway@yahoo.com. I assure you the e-mail that claimed "I was mugged at gun-point" was totally bogus.

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