Troopers: Truck driver tailgating in I-95 crash

When will the state police start enforcing the law? Speeding, weaving, tailgating, and cutting off are rampant on CT's highways. Law enforcement is virtually non-existent on the parkway with cars routinely speeding and weaving at upwards of 80 mph. Oh occasionally you'll see a cruiser parked on the side of the road; I guess this is their idea of enforcing the law. Does it take a rocket scientist to realize the difference some unmarked, non-Ford sedans would make? They used to patrol in unmarked, legally-seized vehicles like camaros,mustangs and corvettes, but I guess it worked too well. It's a mystery why it is no longer used. The occasional parked cruiser will not stop speeding....drivers not knowing if the car next to them is a trooper will. You'd think the additional monies would be an incentive too.

I have a novel Idea, Lets start using our over bloated police forces to enforce traffic laws on trucks running through our State everday endangering people. THey are out of control. How many examples each week do we need to read about?

you have to really be driving crazy to be pulled over in CT. Both state and local police do not want to be bothered pulling anyone over unless it is so blatant it cannot be ignored. Plus it interferes with donut runs.

cops don't want to be inconvenienced. I was at a light Friday night in Stratford and some nut drove right through the red light...not yellow...it had been red for at least a couple seconds. A Stratford cruiser was right behind him; there was no way the cop missed it. But the cop did nothing. I was behind this nut all the way up Main St and he repeatedly went through red lights. I guess it takes a death to wake the cops up.

some of the trucks on 95, are literally scary, the way they drive...they try to push the cars way too much..people nned to get the plate, and place a call when they see a driver driving dangerous..

I was driving home one night on I-95 and a truck was tailgating me while I was driving in the center lane. He was blowing his horn, flashing his lights, etc, so from my headset I called 911 (this was after the tailgating law was put in effect) and the troopers office told me to "get out of his way". I always thought that if a person is riding your tale you don't have to move over. I was shocked when the state troopers office responded that way.

oh boy wrote:

I was driving home one night on I-95 and a truck was tailgating me while I was driving in the center lane. He was blowing his horn, flashing his lights, etc, so from my headset I called 911 (this was after the tailgating law was put in effect) and the troopers office told me to "get out of his way". I always thought that if a person is riding your tale you don't have to move over. I was shocked when the state troopers office responded that way.

they were probably at DD getting coffee

The tech is already there for automated photo radar, just install the hardware at points between every pair of exits on I-95 and I-91 and start mailing $10 tickets to every vehicle that exceeds the speed limit, every time they get caught speeding on camera. Make a limit of 2 tickets per day for first offenders, scale it up for repeat offenders, as there will be those who would rather pay the new "tax" than slow down. Either the traffic will slow down to the posted limit or the state's budget deficit will turn into the largest surplus ever seen. Allow 30 days to pay the ticket, then impound the vehicle. If still unpaid after another 30 days sell the vehicle at auction.

the police in CT are complacent. They want to put in their time with as little disturbance as possible, then retire with a bloated, overtime-enhanced pension.

"Zevallos' truck, a 2001 Kenworth, also had a ruptured saddle tank, which spilled about 100 gallons of diesel fuel onto the highway, which required a cleanup operation by a crew from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Zevallos was issued a traffic ticket for following too closely by state troopers"

They should make this dumb chit pay for the cleanup and emergency personal's time out his own pocket too!

install photo radar wrote:

The tech is already there for automated photo radar, just install the hardware at points between every pair of exits on I-95 and I-91 and start mailing $10 tickets to every vehicle that exceeds the speed limit, every time they get caught speeding on camera. Make a limit of 2 tickets per day for first offenders, scale it up for repeat offenders, as there will be those who would rather pay the new "tax" than slow down. Either the traffic will slow down to the posted limit or the state's budget deficit will turn into the largest surplus ever seen. Allow 30 days to pay the ticket, then impound the vehicle. If still unpaid after another 30 days sell the vehicle at auction.

great idea.....the fines need to be higher though. Speeding needs to be painful when they get caught.

oh boy wrote:

I was driving home one night on I-95 and a truck was tailgating me while I was driving in the center lane. He was blowing his horn, flashing his lights, etc, so from my headset I called 911 (this was after the tailgating law was put in effect) and the troopers office told me to "get out of his way". I always thought that if a person is riding your tale you don't have to move over. I was shocked when the state troopers office responded that way.

the trooper was correct in telling you to get out of his way. slower traffic is supposed to keep right so if you werent passing someone you should have gotten over, period. I am not sure if their is a left lane restriction on trucks on 95 or not but unless you are going faster than the traffic in the lane to your right you shouldnt be in that lane

silli putti wrote:

For me, I95 has become like the Wild West. I had big rigs passing me in the slow lane (far right) while I was in the middle lane just yesterday, and this is nothing. I wish the highway was better monitored by the state troopers. It only seems to be safe when traffic slows everyone down.

if you are in the middle lane and getting passed on the right you shouldnt be in the middle lane, slower traffic by law is supposed to keep right!

Chris1982 wrote:

<quoted text>
the trooper was correct in telling you to get out of his way. slower traffic is supposed to keep right so if you werent passing someone you should have gotten over, period. I am not sure if their is a left lane restriction on trucks on 95 or not but unless you are going faster than the traffic in the lane to your right you shouldnt be in that lane

I keep right when I'm going 65 yet I am still tailgated. Looks like that idea is null and void.

Best bumper sticker I ever saw: The only good tailgater is a dead tailgater.

I have reported many of them -- take down the name of the company they're driving for and call or email the investor relations folks at the company. They do not want pissed-off investors OR bad drivers. Once I got a check back from a guy's company that I reported ... they docked him two days' pay and sent it to me.

Chris1982 wrote:

<quoted text>
if you are in the middle lane and getting passed on the right you shouldnt be in the middle lane, slower traffic by law is supposed to keep right!

Not if you are doing the speed limit. There is no obligation to surrender the road to speeders.

Chicken Little wrote:

Best bumper sticker I ever saw: The only good tailgater is a dead tailgater.
I have reported many of them -- take down the name of the company they're driving for and call or email the investor relations folks at the company. They do not want pissed-off investors OR bad drivers. Once I got a check back from a guy's company that I reported ... they docked him two days' pay and sent it to me.

Nice! Wish that would happen to me ... I enjoy how the phone operators always sound appalled when I call in, as if they didn't have a clue their drivers are morons.

Chris1982 wrote:

<quoted text>
the trooper was correct in telling you to get out of his way. slower traffic is supposed to keep right so if you werent passing someone you should have gotten over, period. I am not sure if their is a left lane restriction on trucks on 95 or not but unless you are going faster than the traffic in the lane to your right you shouldnt be in that lane

The legal speed is up to 55. Anything over that is called speeding. Any driver doing the speed limit is under no obligation to jump out of the way of someone who cannot control their behavior or cannot manage their time responsibly to leave with plenty of time to get to their destination.

YESSS wrote:

<quoted text>
I keep right when I'm going 65 yet I am still tailgated. Looks like that idea is null and void.

im not talking about being in the right lane, im talking about being in the middle or left lane... there is no reason to be tailgated in the right lane if you are doing the speed limit.

Chris1982 wrote:

<quoted text>
im not talking about being in the right lane, im talking about being in the middle or left lane... there is no reason to be tailgated in the right lane if you are doing the speed limit.

Yea, people should move into the right lane to let someone by if they are driving slower than the other person in the middle.