Keller @ Large: Time To Crack Down On Hydrant-Blocking Drivers
BOSTON (CBS) - If you saw the photo tweeted out by the Boston Fire Department the other day of a BMW parked squarely in front of a fire hydrant that firefighters needed to access to fight a major blaze, chances are you're just as appalled and furious about it as I am.
This particular illustration of life-threatening obliviousness came just a few months after the windows of yet another BMW were shattered by firefighters so they could pass their hose through to the fire scene.
And I'm happy to report that someone in a position to really crack down on this type of nasty irresponsibility is also sounding mad enough to act.
Attorney General-elect Maura Healey says she is unimpressed with the $100 fine the idiot BMW owner is getting and wants to explore further punishment for offenders. "I would not be afraid to use criminal or civil process to get after a person and hold them accountable," she said in an interview. "We're lucky in this instance no one died."
Amen to that.
And there are plenty of other offenses that also merit a closer look by Healey.
Parking on corners so emergency vehicles can't make the turn and failure to clear snow and ice from sidewalks and windshields are common habits of the lazy and stupid that could stand some tougher penalties. Able-bodied people parking in handicapped spaces may not be risking the lives of others, but they are taking selfishness to a new level.
I would urge the AG-elect to also consider the role public shaming might play in putting the screws to these creeps. Put their pictures out on social media, like the fire department did with the offending BMW.
Trust me – we'll take it from there.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
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