Driving

THE article by Laurie Berger ["There's a Dented Fender on My Bill!" Travel Q&A, July 2] was of great interest because my wife and I and another couple have rented cars in Europe three times, always with Hertz, never with its insurance, and never with a problem. Berger correctly points out to have the rental company representative sign off on the condition when dropping off the vehicle. Another suggestion would be to use a Visa or MasterCard that provides free rental insurance, less your normal deductible.

Re "Drivers are burning a little less gasoline," Jan. 25 It is an attractive story line -- that Americans are cutting back on their driving and increasingly traveling by public transit -- but it is misleading nonetheless. From 2004 to 2005, the latest full year for which there is data, per-capita travel by car declined 10 miles in the United States. This infinitesimal decline was not captured by public transit, which had a per capita increase of 0.4 miles -- less than the Federal Transit Administration considers to be walking distance to a train station.

Reality calling Jose Cardenas ("Presumption of Guilt Seems to Follow Latino," Feb. 28). Is anyone home? You fill your belly with alcohol, climb into your car and off you go. Do you ever read the news portion of your paper? Do you have a clue that people like you cause very bad things to happen? You and every intoxicated driver I have arrested in my 29 years as a police officer share one common trait: You all think your driving is fantastic, when in fact you're screwed up and you don't know it!

As a follow-up to the discussion about driving in Europe, we would like to add our experience. In three months in 1997, we covered every part of Italy and put 8,000 miles on our vehicle. Despite many warnings that we shouldn't drive in Italy, we decided it would allow us much more freedom than taking trains. As it turns out, it was a safe, wonderful experience. The Italian engineers have developed a sophisticated highway system that in many ways rivals our own. There is no mountain they haven't cut a tunnel through or a valley they haven't put a bridge across.

The Times' July 5 report, "Car Rental Firms in Drive to Polish Tarnished Image," sure caught my attention. This is the company that demanded drop-off charges (about $200) for a car I rented at Boston's Logan Airport to drive to Chicago in the fall of 1984. The car they assigned me had Illinois license plates. In other words, I was paying drop-off charges for the privilege of returning a car to Chicago! JOSEPH R. McCARTHY Pacific Palisades

Oh, joy! Oh, bliss! Yesterday I filled my car with regular leaded gas at well below $1 a gallon! Now we can drive more often, we can take longer trips. The cost of driving is no longer inhibiting. My daughter has been considering a new job 50 miles away from her home but felt she might have to relocate to avoid the high cost of commuting. Not to worry! With gasoline so much cheaper, a 100-mile-a-day round trip presents no obstacle. Hey, I just read that the auto companies are bringing back the gas guzzlers.

The federal government, by discouraging the use of larger cars, will be responsible for 2,200 to 3,900 traffic deaths next year. So says a study reported in The Times (March 23). Since I drive a small car, I worry that increased use of larger cars will increase the risk of fatality--namely, mine. Obviously when a big, heavy car hits a small, light one, it's going to be bad for the little guy. But what if all the cars were little? After all, I'd hate to be riding a bicycle in traffic, but I don't think there are many fatalities in China, where everyone rides them.

Despite its commitment to feeding all-polluting automobiles, Shell Oil believes the oxide-belching beast can be tamed by concerned motorists with a gentler touch. The heavier the foot, says a new pamphlet from the Shell Answer Person, the greater the gas consumption and emissions. To squeeze more miles from each gallon: * Check wheels frequently. Misalignment and low tire pressures increase road resistance that wastes two miles per gallon.

So Judge Dave Bach Jr. of the Fullerton Municipal Court ("Judge Orders Driver Tried for Murder in 4 Crash Deaths," July 17) thinks that a person who drives with an alcohol blood level of 0.108 and passes at high speed on a dirt shoulder on a heavily traveled street and then swerves into uncoming traffic, with the result of killing a mother and her four children and injuring others, is "a nice man." Judge Bach also says that "most of us, judges and lawyers even, have gotten behind the wheel after drinking more than we should."

So, Gordon House intends to prove that "Hey, this situation could have happened to anybody" ("Power of Grief," Dec. 16). I know many people, myself included, who would never drink and drive. When the attitude that drinking and driving "happen" is no longer accepted by society, the law will require people to take responsibility for their actions and, perhaps, these people will be convicted of their true crime: murder. GINA BERNBAUM Encino