Recently, I took a drive along the shoreline on I-95, and on my return drive, I could not believe some of the unfathomable acts by so many of the drivers with whom I was sharing the road. 

Have we all gone blind to the speed limit signage along the highway? Every driver seems to get locked into a speed comfortable for them, and it is never the proper speed. 

Most of I-95 is posted at 65 mph, however from Milford to New Haven, the speed limit is 55 mph, except in the construction area by the West Haven/New Haven line where it drops to 40 mph. 

The Pearl Harbor Bridge limit is 50, just like the stretch through East Lyme at the Waterford line.  Once I cross the bridge into East Haven and get through East Haven at 50, I lock my cruise control at 65. Every single car sharing the road with me this day passed me, many exceeding 70 to 75 mph. 

Can’t we just obey the posted speed limits and not put others on the highway at risk? You do understand the left lane is for passing only, right?   

I see many drivers feel the left passing lane is their personal travel lane to just speed past everyone in the right travel lane. This gets frustrating for those drivers using the travel lane properly until we come upon another car traveling at a slower pace.  Now, we would like to pull into the left passing lane, but we can’t as the speeders cruising by monopolize this lane. 

Once you pass a car, return to the right travel lane and regain a respectable travel speed. Do not proceed to pass in the right lane because the driver you were following in the left lane isn’t going fast enough for you. Leave the left passing lane open so others can move over to pass. Drive safely and keep right except to pass.   

On more than one occasion, I was dumbfounded by the way some drivers get to their exit ramp. One driver slipped over from the left lane, squeezing between two other cars to gain access to the exit, even though there was plenty of time to pass the lead driver and exit without causing concern to the following driver. 

Twice, I was left scratching my head as two drivers who had been following me in the right lane, traveling at a respectable 65 mph, decided it was time to pass me, then slid back in front of me just as their exit was 500 feet ahead. They slowed down to take the exit, causing me to slow down until they had left the highway. 

As I was approaching one of the entrance ramps, a truck on the entrance ramp wanted to get on the highway. I was traveling in the right lane, and there was a car coming up on my left side, about to pass me. Since I have the right-of-way being on the highway, I figured the truck would slow down until I passed, however he began pulling over into my lane, thankfully just as the passing car moved ahead of me.  I had to cut over into the left lane quickly to avoid getting hit by the truck. 

Once I reached my exit, and began traveling down the streets to my home, there was one driver behind me who didn’t understand the concept of stopping at a stop sign. Again, on more than one occasion, after I stopped at the stop sign and looked both ways before continuing, this driver felt as though he was attached to me like I was towing him. 

Rather than stopping also, the driver followed me through the stop sign, not allowing the other cars at the intersection to take their rightful turn. 

When did we all become so self-absorbed with driving, not showing any regard to others on the roads? I know I am starting to sound repetitive, but if we could all just remember to follow the rules of the road, I know there would be many fewer accidents on our roadways.

Lee Edwards of Niantic has spent two decades in the transportation industry.