When did our driving habits change? There used to be a time when going out for a drive was fun and adventurous. I remember going out with my parents to look at the fall foliage, driving throughout the state on the highways and secondary roads to take in the beautiful colors of autumn.

My dad would drive and always was courteous to other drivers on the road. If we were driving a bit too slow, he would wave the car behind us to pass when we reached a passing zone.

Today, everyone is in such a hurry to get to their destination, all respect for others on the road has been lost.

We are all guilty of driving too fast. When did we stop observing the speed limit signs? In fact, when did we stop observing most all highway signs?

Speeding is a national epidemic across all the states, and is one of the leading causes of accidents. Why can’t people just slow down to the speed limit, and remember it is the speed “limit”! The posted speed limit is the fastest you should be driving in the passing lane to get ahead of a slower vehicle in the travel lane.

You shouldn’t be driving 70 mph or more. Yet how many of you are driving I-95 through East Lyme and slow down to the posted 50 mph at exits 74 and 75? How many are aware the speed limit from Waterford through New London on I-95 is 55 mph? Very few.

Let’s slow down and save lives.

Tailgating

This is a result of speeding as well. Someone is in the travel or passing lane, driving at an acceptable speed and someone else gets on this person’s tail to move them along faster.

But the passing lane is not a NASCAR lane! Again, slow down and observe the speed limit to save lives.

Left lane hog

Remember “keep right except to pass”? Drivers going too slow in the passing lane are left lane hogs that create the tailgating issue. Ease the flow of traffic and keep right when you are not trying to pass another vehicle. The truck lane, which opens up on the right as a third lane on a hill, is also intended for slower vehicles.

Or in the case of the third lane approaching the Baldwin Bridge, this lane is intended to be a transitional lane to get to the exit on the other side of the bridge. It was also intended to ease the flow of traffic entering the highway from Route 1 in either direction as well as from Route 9 to I-95 northbound.

I often witness drivers using the truck or third lane as their own personal passing lane which leads to accidents when they don’t merge properly back into traffic.

Merging traffic

Do you know how to identify which lane has the right-of-way when merging from two lanes down to one? Look at the merging sign. Is the right lane coming to an end up ahead? The left lane has the right-of-way.

If you are in the right lane, and need to merge into the left travel lane, turn on your left signal and show you are about to merge, and do so when you have an opening. Those drivers with the rights-of-way in the travel lane should be kind and ease off to let you merge, but many times, I have witnessed someone in the travel lane speed up to block the merging vehicle.

A little respect and courtesy in this situation would make merging so much safer.

Stop signs

How obvious is this sign? What does it mean? Stop! Here are a few situations I observed just in the past week. While driving up Route 117, I saw a car coming towards the road on Sandy Hollow Road. When they reached the end of the road, at the stop sign, they didn’t even bother to slow down, and turned south onto Route 117 at approximately 15 mph.

Later that day, while driving down East Pattagansett Road in Niantic, I had a tailgater behind me. When I stopped at the two stop signs at Bush Hill Drive and Hope Street respectively, he did not stop behind me, but followed me through the sign as if he were attached to my bumper.

At the traffic light, I was turning left onto Main Street. I stayed back at the line until traffic cleared coming out of Black Point Road before moving into the intersection and making my turn. That same driver behind me became agitated since I had not moved up so he could go around me on the right to enter Black Point Road.

Lesson: Stop at all stop signs, count to three, looking left, right, then left again before proceeding. Patience is a virtue.

A little courtesy goes a long way on our roadways. So let’s start a conversation with reckless drivers who do not follow the rules of the road. Things need to change.

Lee Edwards has spent two decades in the transportation industry. He can be reached at leeaedwards@atlanticbb.net.