By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
We have seen a major uptick in accidents, unsafe driving and reports of injured pedestrians, cyclists and riders over the past few years.
In 2020, when there were dramatically fewer drivers on the road, a National Safety Council report found a 42 percent increase in roadway fatalities in Connecticut. The number of deaths has risen each year since. According to a US Department of Transportation report, in 2019 there were 249 roadway fatalities; in 2022, that number jumped to 359. The number of serious injuries has also grown from 1,344 in 2019, to 1,505 in 2022. Preliminary data from 2023 and 2024 show a continued rise.
Speeding and distracted driving incidents have also increased. At the end of June Andrew DiDomenico, a state Department of Transportation employee, was struck and killed at 9 a.m. while working alongside I-91. The driver was later found to be under the influence. Andrew was only 26. Just a month earlier, Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was struck and killed during a traffic stop on I-84. That driver was also found to be under the influence. Pelletier was 34, married with two young children.
In June alone, the Orange Police Department responded to 78 traffic accidents. Social media sites regularly have posts about roads being closed due to accidents, or about unsafe driving behavior or near misses.
One story that sticks with me was from a local mom sharing that her son had been riding his bike and been hit by a distracted driver. Thankfully the child was not seriously hurt, but it could have been tragic had a few factors, like speed, been different.
It’s easy to get caught up in busy schedules and go faster than we should (I know I have), but let’s look at the math of a popular route. On Dogwood Road in Orange, the distance from the traffic light at Route 34 to Target on the Post Road is roughly two miles of very winding, narrow street. That trip should take you about 4 minutes and 45 seconds if you obey the 25 mile-per-hour speed limit. At 45 miles per hour – almost double the limit but slower than many go – the trip becomes about three minutes. At 45 miles per hour with many blind curves, your reaction time is extremely limited. There are no sidewalks or shoulders, so kids riding bikes or people walking dogs are incredibly vulnerable.
Pedestrian impact is another important factor. AAA reported in 2011 that at 45 miles per hour the average risk of severe injury is 90 percent, and the average risk of death is close to 60 percent. This was based on impact by a car or light truck. Larger vehicles, like many of us drive today, would be even more deadly.
If we all take a moment to consider possible outcomes, we know that getting to wherever we are going a few seconds faster just isn’t worth it. Too many families in Connecticut have already found this out.
We all use these roads, and we need to share the responsibility of keeping them safe. Let’s all slow down.