As highway deaths keep rising, Connecticut asks Washington for help

Roadway deaths have jumped 62% since the pandemic, and 2024 is on track to surpass last year’s total. Now, Sen. Chris Murphy is asking the federal government for more help.

John Craven

Oct 9, 2024, 9:00 PM

Updated 28 days ago

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2024 is shaping up to be another deadly year on Connecticut roads. So far, 245 people have already been killed.
Now, victims’ families and Sen. Chris Murphy are asking Washington for more help.

“GUT-WRENCHING ORDEAL”

Shauna Devlin was a runner and a musician. But most importantly, she was Bill Devlin’s daughter.
“Our daughter was a vibrant person who made an impression on almost everyone who knew her,” he said.
But in May 2022, Shauna Devlin became a statistic. A hit-and-run driver killed her on an evening walk in Hamden.
“This crime caused us an almost two-year gut wrenching ordeal,” her father said.
Between 2019 and 2023, traffic deaths jumped 62%, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
“The pandemic changed us all, but what we’ve seen change on our roadways is especially concerning,” said DOT Deputy Commissioner Laoise King. "2022 was the deadliest year on our roads in over 40 years."

HELP FROM WASHINGTON

On Wednesday, Devlin’s parents joined Murphy at a news conference calling for more federal action.
“After the pandemic, though roadway volumes have come down, speeds have gone up,” Murphy told reporters. “I have reached out to Secretary Buttigieg at the Department of Transportation to ask for his help.”
One idea Murphy is floating: requiring a “continuing education” class to renew drivers’ licenses.

CT CRACKING DOWN

Connecticut is hoping for more funding to boost the state’s existing crackdown on dangerous drivers.
State police traffic stops are up 162% this year, according to Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell Higgins. He said troopers are focusing their efforts in high crash areas along Interstates 84 and 91, as well as Routes 8 and 9.
“We are focusing where we can get the best bang for our buck,” Higgins said.
Officers won't even be needed soon. Starting next year, automated speed cameras will start appearing in cities and towns. Higgins said a pilot program in highway work zones already dropped average speeds by 18%.
DOT is also installing 140 wrong-way sensors along highway on-ramps.
“Enforcement is stepping up, but we want to continue this momentum," he said.

ROADS GETTING DEADLIER

Despite those efforts, Connecticut’s roads are still getting deadlier. This summer, suspected impaired drivers killed Trooper Aaron Pelletier and a DOT maintenance worker.
That’s why Devlin’s parents want Washington to step up.
'If we can help just one person not feel this pain, we’d be doing what our daughter Shauna would do,” said her mother, Melody.