Date: Fri 02-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-speed

Full Text:

ED INK: Speed Limit Moves Out Of The Slow Lane

The speed limit changed on I-84 on October 1, but you would never know it. The

increase in the limit, from 55 mph to 65 mph, essentially brought the law up

to speed with actual road reality. On a Sunday morning drive from Newtown to

Middlebury and back last Sunday, before the new limit went into effect, most

cars were traveling at 65 mph. The truth is that the 55 mph speed limit was

never strictly enforced on this particular stretch of road.

The Connecticut State Police say the new limit will be strictly enforced. That

remains to be seen. We are sure certain drivers we know will bring their lead

feet to bear in a quest to determine the exact speed that will trigger a

response from a state trooper. We hope their quest ends this side of 70 mph.

Connecticut legislators decided to raise the speed limits on the interstates

in the more rural areas of the state after seeing that similar experiments in

other states did not result in more highway fatalities; some states have even

reported that highway deaths have declined as a result.

It is not speed but sudden changes in speed and lane position on the

interstates that account for most accidents. So as the police cast their radar

nets into the traffic on I-84 in the coming weeks, we hope they also snag a

few of the reckless drivers who make driving such an adventure for all the

rest of us who are just trying to go with the flow.