Drivers slowing down?

Add comment June 10th, 2008

I saw the story below on the wire and wondered if any one thought Illinois drivers also were slowing down. I think they are. I was on I-90 Sunday on my way to Elgin for a wake and I thought traffic was moving slower than normal. Not a lot slower, but maybe 5 mph. So instead of the 75-80, folks were going 70-75, although I did notice a few folks who stayed in the 60s.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A State Patrol official says Wisconsin motorists appear to be slowing down.

Transportation safety director Dan Lonsdorf says the rising cost of gasoline is one of the biggest factors is the reduced speeds.

State troopers and sheriff’s deputies also are reporting that they are seeing fewer vehicles on the state’s freeways, and traffic fatalities have dropped 29 percent this year.

The state Department of Transportation found that motorists on four-lane state highways and freeways have reduced their average speed by a little more than 1 mph over the last year.

Lonsdorf says the big chunk of fatality reduction is that people are slowing down and traveling less.