RutlandHerald.com - We Are Vermont

Too bad that this happened. What would the town had done if he had stopped to take a nap? Maybe the state could enact a law that gave a person that needs a nap the ability to do so,like a truck driver that gets paid by the mile can stop. The person would go off the clock for that period of time and make it up at the end of the shift with-out fear of losing their job. I do realize that police emergencies occur at any time, but they could be woken up to respond if really needed to be. What would have been better, this officer taking a needed nap without fear of being fired, or having a serious accident like what had happened? I would dare say that if he was that tired that he was not really alert and observant enough anyways to be effective. I for one would rather have the person take the nap than the accident! maybe they should check for exhaust leakage into the passenger compartment to rule out carbon monoxide poisoning. You never know. And, if any person thinks it is a bad idea to allow a nap because the town needs the protection, think about the fact that it did not have protection during the accident and possibly is not a 24 hour police department any how, so that theory is debunked. I hope the officer and the operator of the second vehicle will be back to health soon. Nobody is totally immune to any sort of accident. I just hope the officer is treated as any other driver that has fallen asleep at the wheel is. I am neither for, nor against punishment that is in line with consistant penalties handed out in cases like this. I have one more thought, and that is, this officer is actually held to a higher standard in safety, but knowing what could happen if "caught" napping, and fear for his job, kept him on the road, as it does for many drivers out there, myself once included. Good Day, CCF

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