Key West The Newspaper

Dear Editor,

What can be done or who can we put pressure on to make US1 safer? Just recently there was yet ANOTHER head on crash where multiple people were air lifted. At certain areas on US1 there are “rumble” bumps that are either embedded into the white line or grooves that have been carved into the road. GREAT!!! But that does not solve the head on problem because BOTH of these warning systems are on the outside to warn against a driver running off the road. Why can’t these grooves be put into the center line the entire length of the highway where there is one lane each direction? This is a common warning system that is used in the roads of Northern Wisconsin and they have seen a dramatic decrease in head on crashes from people falling asleep or just looking out their windows and drifting over the center lane. Even the US Dept of Transportation has found that these center lane rumble strips can reduce head on crashes up to 60%. Here is a link to the US Dept of Transportation on the subject of center line rumble stips , their safety and how they don’t cause any additional wear on the roads:

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/pavement/rumble_strips/safety.cfm

I have seen on US1 that there are center line reflectors or bumps but those are spaced so far apart they do not effectively alert the driver they have crossed the center line. The warning grooves need to be constant. Heck I have passed many of slow drivers over these areas and never felt my tires go over the bumps thus the need for “constant” warning grooves.

I find it so shocking that with as much traffic that the Florida Keys experiences and the high number of head on crashes we see that a more focused effort on warning drivers of crossing the center line has not been made. It is time that we stop seeing people needlessly killed because a drunk driver, a drowsy driver or a distracted driver simply wonders over the center line. Lets face it, it is the keys and people drive not by looking out their front window, they drive by looking out their side window at our beautiful landscape.

Please lets make a push to make our road safer and have these “Milled Rumble Strips” put into US1.

Thank you,

MK from Ramrod Key