The most dangerous thing I see people do everyday when I’m driving around town is tailgating. In order to be able to safely react to the car in front of you there should be one car length for every 10 miles an hour or 1 foot for every mph you’re driving.

People who tailgate obviously do not have an understanding of the basic laws of physics. In martial arts, you learn to stay out of what is called the “critical zone.” In the critical zone, whoever acts first gets the punch in. The law works the same for cars braking too fast when the one behind them is in their “critical zone.”

Drivers are going to overreact to orange lights once they know there is a camera that might give them a ticket for entering the intersection a fraction of a second too late. And if they have a tailgater on their tail, it’s not going end well.

Traffic citations should always be given at the discretion of an officer because there can be unforeseen nuances going on that should be considered. I believe that these cameras are an unnecessary expense and will do a great injustice to the citizens of Chico.

— Joe Shaw, Chico

Editor’s note: Every Sunday, we will select one letter from the previous seven days as our “Letter of the Week.” We’re choosing the letter that, in our view, stands as the best example of civil, thoughtful and fact-based commentary with extra points given on occasion for originality.