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•T he I FP • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, A ug us t 8 , 2 01 3 6 OPINION Stupidity and obnoxiousness can go hand-in- hand when some people get behind the wheel of a car or hop onto a motorcycle. Those who want proof of the sheer idiocy of some drivers need look no further than last month when several drivers-- in varying age ranges-- were charged with stunt driving. • A 24-year-old Georgetown man was charged after Caledon OPP clocked a driver going 156 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. • A 40-year-old motorcyclist from Caledon was allegedly travelling at 159 km/h, or 79 km/h above the speed limit on Airport Road. • A 30-year-old Brampton man was caught driving his motorcycle 139 km/h in an 80 km/h posted zone in Mulmur. • A Brampton motorcyclist, 27, was charged after police clocked him travelling 169 km/h, or 89 km/h above the speed limit. • A 46-year-old man from Georgetown was charged after police clocked him driving 57 km/h above the posted speed limit. • And perhaps in the most bizarre and serious incident, an 85-year-old Vaughan woman was charged with stunt-driving in connection with a collision that killed a pedestrian and her dog. The driver was allegedly was traveling 50 km/h over the speed limit and not wearing a seatbelt. If the risk to their own safety isn't enough of a deterrent, it would be reasonable to think the pen- alties associated with stunt driving would be. Each driver had their motorcycle or car im- pounded for a week and also received an imme- diate seven-day driver's licence suspension. Then there's the matter of a fine (up to $10,000) and a maximum 10-year licence suspension for repeat offenders as well as the inevitable increase in in- surance premiums. It would be naive to think that speeding will ever go away. Beyond introducing Draconian penal- ties for stunt driving or perpetually blanketing our roadways with police, there doesn't appear to be a lot of options when it comes to excessive speeding. As it's been said, "You can't fix stupid." The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press Can't fix stupid Steve Nease Letters to the editor Dear editor, We were sadly reminded of a year ago when we read the me- morials to Dr. Ron Trenton in last week's Independent & Free Press. Ron Trenton was our family dog's (Rose) vet. He gave her won- derful care and consideration dur- ing her final months and made her life as good as it could possibly be. With Ron Trenton you could see it was his passion and not just a job. Sadly, Dr. Ron put our Rose to sleep, handling this difficult mo- ment (along with his staff) in a very caring and beautiful way. We were, of course, very dis- tressed to lose a family pet of 14 years, but we were devastated when, just two days later, we learned of Ron Trenton's untimely passing while traveling north for some rest and relaxation. I'm sure we echo hundreds (if not thousands) of Ron's past clients in saying how much we are sure he is missed and understand his fam- ily's pain on this sad anniversary. Mike, Kathy, Simon, Tom and Robin Hall, Georgetown Letters policy 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Do you intend to visit the new Toronto Premi- um Outlets in Halton Hills in the near future? • Yes (77%) • No (23%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Caring veterinarian fondly remembered Education needed on Lyme disease Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Dear editor, As a Canadian I feel it necessary to share my story on Lyme disease. Fourteen months ago I was a healthy 52-year-old woman who loved outdoor adventures. Since then, I have undergone countless trips to doctors, specialists and emergency rooms-- all which gave me a clean bill of health. I asked for a Lyme disease test which is two-tiered: the ELISA was negative so the Western blot test was not done, cited as being too expensive. When the doctors hit a brick wall trying to treat me I was told it was all in my head and was sent to a psychiatrist who quickly conclud- ed the problems were physical not mental. With my health still declining I went to a naturopath who per- formed additional testing and found I was positive for Lyme disease. It was clear to me I would not receive the help and treatment that I needed here in Ontario. In May I met with a American Lyme disease- literate doctor. His practice of 800 patients included 600 Canadians who, like myself, did not receive help here. I became infected with Lyme disease when I was bitten by a tick in Halton Hills. Soon after, I devel- oped many symptoms. The disease became so debilitating I was unable to work. We need to spread awareness of this horrible disease. We need to educate Canadians on signs and symptoms and those in healthcare to better diagnose and treat the disease. Bev Aalbers, Halton Hills