5 Striking Reasons Why Connecticut Drivers Need to Slow Down

You never think it will ever happen to you. Well, it happened to me on a lazy country road in New Milford. I was driving along Route 109 going the speed limit in our 2019 Hyundai Tucson with my wife, Mindy, and our granddaughter, Winnie, when all of a sudden, from out of nowhere, a car appeared in front of me, and I had no choice but to slam into it.

The airbags deployed, and Winnie let out a blood-curdling scream, but thank God none of us were injured, although the car was totaled. To add insult to injury, even though the accident wasn't my fault, I would like to thank Geico for the letter canceling our auto insurance.

According to ctmirror.org, an estimated 368 people died in car crashes in Connecticut in 2022, the first time the state has recorded an average of more than one traffic fatality per day. Since 2015, 2,500 Connecticut residents have lost their lives. Many of them were DUI-involved crashes, wrong-way crashes, or caused by distractions, among other reasons.

We were lucky no one was hurt, but it did a PTSD number on my wife, Mindy, who won't get behind the wheel of a medium or large-sized SUV. As we drive by a cross street where a car is stopped at the stop sign, I hear her muttering to herself like she's talking to the other driver, saying, "Stay right there. Don't you move!" If she had her way, she would have a brake near her right foot of the passenger seat.

Maybe instead of increasing the speed limit on some of Connecticut's four-lane highways, the Department of Transportation should lower the speed limit on I-84 and I-95 from 65 mph to 55 mph, knowing full well there's not a chance in hell that will ever happen nor would anyone abide by the speed limit. If you look at the science as it pertains to speed, take a quick peek at this video and ask yourself if it's worth it.