Summer Safety Series Part 3—

Seasonal Weather Amping Up Speed, Unsafe Operation On Newtown’s Roadways

By John Voket

This is the third part in an ongoing series on summertime safety featuring input from local officials.

You might think that while they monitor traffic or patrol local roadways looking for unsafe or impaired drivers, officers in the Newtown Police Department’s Traffic Division see every manner of behind-the-wheel hi-jinks. But Officers Steve Ketchum and Jeff Silver both told The Newtown Bee this week that they bear greatest witness to some of Newtown’s most outrageous traffic hazards when they are off duty and driving around town in their own private vehicles.

Considering the rash of motor-vehicle-related deaths across the state in recent days, Newtown’s police force remains ever vigilant to unsafe drivers, as well as those who may put the many pedestrians, skateboarders, and cyclists sharing the local streets at risk. Three separate motorcycle crashes since last Friday resulted in fatalities, and on July 9, a 14-year-old boy was mortally injured after being hit by a car in Farmington.

In another high-profile case, 44-year-old Kenneth Dorsey died March 26 after his was struck while jogging in Norwalk. The 16-year-old New Canaan girl operating the SUV that police say left the roadway and hit the pedestrian is being charged wit negligent homicide — “distracted driving” is being blamed.

Since the state initiated laws against operating handheld devices while driving, Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said his department has handed out hundreds of citations and hundreds more warnings. And his traffic division officers cite distracted driving as one of a trio of issues that added together measurably increase the risk of a traffic collision.

“Overall, speeding has increased and distracted driving has increased with the availability of technology people have in their vehicles,” Officer Silver said. “Couple that with following too close or aggressive driving and you have a recipe for an accident.”

Warm Weather Factors

Adding in factors like warm weather, windows down, loud music, and friends or other distractions in a vehicle that typically increase during the summertime, and those drivers become even a greater hazard to other operators, cyclists, and pedestrians.

“There’s an attitude change in the summer. Things seem to get faster,” Officer Silver said. “There are drivers out joyriding, and people are busy so they want to get where they need to go — people are in a hurry.”

Newtown roadways also have unique characteristics that can enhance certain hazards during the warm weather months, according to Officer Ketchum.

“Vegetation growth reduces sight lines and makes visibility difficult for vehicles traveling on roadways, as well as for cars pulling out into traffic,” he said. “That overgrowth can also force cyclists and pedestrians out into the roadways because of the reduced proximity to the road edges.”

“You also have a lot of road bikes out there with these extremely thin tires, so they tend to stay away from the edges of roadways because of the sand and vegetation,” Officer Silver added. “They tend to weave or edge into the travel portion of the roadway. Or they’re riding two or even three abreast, or passing on the right or ignoring stop signs and traffic signals.”

The bottom line is cyclists wanting to stay safe and share the roadway have to act accordingly and follow applicable traffic laws, the officers said.

Motorcyclists also have added obligations to keep themselves and their passengers as safe as possible.

“More often than not, it is the motor vehicle that is the contributor in motorcycle crashes,” Officer Silver said. “Drivers need to be aware that motorcycles are entitled to the entire [lane], so vehicles are restricted from passing motorcycles on the right.”

Officer Ketchum, who is Newtown’s motorcycle patrol officer, said riders need to make eye contact with drivers, especially at intersections, and above all, be visible.

Roadway Conditions

Certain aspects of Newtown’s roadways also can contribute to crashes, because of certain stretches that do not necessarily appear to coincide with the posted speed limit. But the officers remind drivers that speed limits, which are set by the state and not the local municipality, are created based on the entire road and not its various parts.

“Cars today can certainly handle local roads at or above the posted limits,” Officer Silver said. “But it’s the operator reaction times that are the contributor when combined with increased speed. When they come around a corner do they have time to stop for the hazard, a child or a deer in the roadway?”

Finally, there is the contributing factors of mechanical issues that can contribute to crashes.

“You have to make sure your tires are inflated properly and that you have plenty of tread,” Officer Silver said. “Also try and keep from obstructing your view. It seems GPS units are getting bigger and bigger and people put them right in the middle of their windshield.”

Tinted windows also reduce visibility, especially at night, and drivers should inspect their own vehicles regularly for broken or inoperative brake, head, and taillights.

“We also have a lot of landscapers, homeowners, and boaters with trailers,” Officer Silver said. “They need to be sure those trailer lights are working. Especially on boat trailers where the boat is wider than the vehicle, which compromises the rear view. When you take your boat out of the water, make sure you are reconnecting and testing those trailer and brake lights.”