Dear Editor,
Emma Barhydt’s report on the “Rise in Aggressive Driving” (New Canaan Sentinel, Nov. 15, page 9) is one of the strongest pieces of original reporting that I have read in the Sentinel since you started publishing here over a year ago.
Emma describes the situation with drivers recklessly weaving through traffic, tailgating and speeding, and she aptly calls our roads “a daily obstacle course” – even when driving to school on local roads. The report provides statistics about surges in fatal crashes in Connecticut and other Driving Under the Influence fatalities and cites another media report about distracted driving compounding the issue. Emma gives the context of COVID lockdown periods, which gave law-breaking drivers wide open freeways for practicing 90- to 100-mph racing.
I can attest to the real dangers of commuting 25 miles to New Canaan from Stratford. Twice in two years a car banged into mine as I was traveling with the flow of traffic in the right-hand lane of the Merritt Parkway. BANG. Fortunately, no injuries. Just continuous high anxiety and the probability of increased insurance rates.
With insight that not enough people are speaking about in public, Emma refers to Connecticut’s Police Accountability law, enacted in 2020, which police officers across Fairfield County say has constrained their work enforcing the laws of the roads. If you ask me, even if there have been some positive effects of the law, we have seen enough negative effects that it is time to modify it.
I was disappointed not to hear candidates for our State Senate and State House propose actions to fight this new normal of heightened dangers on our roads. We are talking about public safety that is getting out of control. It is time for bold leadership to protect our citizens and make our roads safer.
Keep up the strong reporting, Emma. I will hope to find it on Page 1 next time.
Greg Reilly
