I live on a county road in Bayfield. On four occasions, young drivers have not adhered to the speed limit of 20 mph when going past my house and have run off the road, causing damage to trees and fencing.

On all occasions, the police responded to the accident. Fortunately, there were no physical injuries; people, horses and pets were barely missed. All accidents created a mess to be cleaned up.

What amazes me with all of the accidents, never once has a parent come to my home with their adolescent and asked what they could do to clean up the mess and damage caused by their child. When I asked the police about that, I am told that many parents just don’t care.

We hear in the news every day of travesties in this world caused by people not respecting human life, not taking responsibility for their actions, blaming the government, blaming the economy, blaming the schools, blaming gun laws, etc.

I feel responsibility starts at home. It doesn’t take a law to teach children to take responsibility for their actions.

So my message to parents is to pay attention, let your child know that they are responsible for damages they cause and make them clean it up. If a teenager is well enough to drive a car, they are well enough to clean up damaged trees, branches and broken fences. They are also well enough to apologize for any stress or concern they might have caused. I don’t feel this takes a law or a court to enforce. It is the responsible action of a parent or guardian.

Darla Lange

Bayfield