Without any doubt, Mr. Scott Owens, who crossed the median, played a significant role in killing those beloved young adults last Sunday morning. However, this driver is not the only one who is responsible.

Four years ago, New Mexico Department of Transportation developed a highway-improvement plan to address the safety concerns they had identified on the Old Las Vegas Highway.

These plans not only included resurfacing the highway, but also incorporated turning lanes, intersection stop lights, bike lanes, and more importantly, widening the road to allow for an 8-foot shoulder.

Public hearings were held at the Elks Lodge. These meetings were well attended by local individuals who opposed the highway-improvement plan. They cited opposing factors such as maintaining the original Route 66; protecting trees from being cut down; altering the landscape; and reducing the light levels for amateur astronomers. They all objected to the highway improvements for selfish reasons that they placed above highway safety.

Had the highway plan not been altered from the original concept, the 8-foot shoulder might have provided an escape avenue for the teens. Instead, the teens were trapped by not being able to get off the road onto the shoulder, resulting in the tragic accident.

Therefore, those opponents to the Old Las Vegas Highway improvement plan also played a role in this senseless accident.

We must all learn from this, and not ever allow special interests to take priority over safety issues again.

Retired Col. Virgil J. Vigil retired after 30 years of military service that included schooled training as a safety officer. He lives near the crash site.