To the editor:

This is my first letter to the editor and I would like to men­tion a few things.

I have been enjoying Dewey Lake and the Dowagiac area since 1932, when my father came up to Dewey Lake, so I have approximately 77 years of really experiencing a lot of fun, swimming, boating, etc.

When I graduated from high school in June of 1950, my fa­ther spent that spring teaching my brother and I how to drive.

Also, in addition to teaching us how to drive, my father constantly strove to make us aware of no elbows or arms out the window.

He said, “I am teaching you how to drive and how to sur­vive when driving. You should stay alert while you drive. I will take your license away from you when you get it this summer from the State of Illinois if I find you driving the car without two hands on the wheel, with your elbow or arm out the win­dow, which is a big no to me, your license will be immediately taken away and I will decide when you get it back.”

I now drive the streets of Dowagiac and constantly see both men, women and young people with one arm out the window.

A much bigger fault is when they have their cell phone to their ear and driving the car!

My feeling is that the State of Michigan should adapt a law charging a $75 fine for this large, dangerous driving infrac­tion.

William B. Gallagher

Dowagiac