Drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are likely seeing red - and a lot of it.

Last weekend, my family packed the car and set out for a vacation at the beach. The first leg of our trip was the turnpike’s Northeast Extension. As the front-seat passenger, I had plenty of time to take in the sights.

The first thing I noticed, and continued to notice, was a lot of red. Brake lights.

Ugh. How could there be so much traffic already this morning? I wondered. Must be an accident.

I was wrong on both counts.

The increase in drivers hitting the brakes may very well have been brought on by their use of the new 70 mph speed limit, enacted in May. It seems each time they approached an interchange or a rest stop, where cars typically are moving more slowly, they had to brake quickly as well. Why? Likely because they weren’t traveling at just 70 mph.

These drivers need a reminder that their braking - to get their speed at or under the limit - causes a ripple effect behind them. It takes just one driver to not pay attention and fail to also brake with the pack, and there’s a pileup on the turnpike.

I also saw a lot of orange on the Northeast Extension, as a huge span of the roadway is deemed a construction zone. Signs are posted to alert drivers that the speed limit in a work zone is reduced to 55.

This brings more red - because those drivers braking from the newly increased speed limit cannot slow quickly enough. Again, that might be because they weren’t going just 70.

As we were approaching the work zone - after passing many warning signs to slow down - we came upon a speed check, which monitored drivers’ mph and then flashed it on the sign. Not one driver in front of our car had successfully slowed to 55 by the time his vehicle entered the work zone.

Within a mile of the flashing sign, warnings appeared to alert drivers of a lane shift. These shifts, where the roadway takes a slight, yet sudden turn, are often difficult to navigate because there are no lines painted to show the lanes or the original, now-unused lines can still be faintly seen. Imagine how difficult these lane shifts are for drivers traveling at 55-plus mph.

Oftentimes, these lane shifts force very tight quarters. The narrowness of each driver’s designated space on the road is constricting and uncomfortable, even when you’re adhering to the speed limit.

Up ahead, more orange. Signs warned drivers of lanes narrowing in 1,000 feet. Then, 500 feet. Then, a lane change. And then, more red.

It’s still too early for PennDOT to give statistics on the impact of the increased speed limit, but it has continued its April 11-15 Work Zone Awareness Week campaign. In these public service announcements, PennDOT employees offer a few facts: If you’re traveling at 45 mph in a work zone and hit them, their bones will break. If you’re traveling at 65 mph, they will die. All of the campaign messages emphasize that these employees are also parents, youth mentors or family members who want to return home from work safely each day.

Please take your time during all of this roadwork. There really isn’t any reason to reach 70-plus mph when you know you’ll be hitting your brakes for the work zones. If you cause an accident, you’re likely not getting to your destination on time anyway.

As for me, I was thankful to be off the Northeast Extension and away from the sensory overload of oranges and reds. Instead, I looked forward to seeing green - that Exit 17 sign that eventually led to blue skies and white sand.

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Catasauqua Press

Northampton Press

Whitehall-Coplay Press