Safety begins at weigh station

Connecticut Post Staff
09/24/2008

With longer hours at the Interstate 95 weigh station in Greenwich, the state has reaped some expected benefits. Now officials need to make sure the changes are permanent, and that the era of sporadic enforcement is over.

Violations more than doubled at the station during the first six months of the year compared to 2007. This means more money in state coffers from all the extra tickets issued, and, more importantly, that many more unsafe vehicles dealt with before an accident happens. This is an outcome everyone should be able to get behind.

I-95 is a terrible road for many reasons, but high on the list is a lack of safety. The more the state can do to ensure that it is keeping dangerous vehicles off the road, the more secure people will feel on their daily commutes. It won't help alleviate the chronic congestion, but it's an important step.

Some lawmakers are pushing for further expansion in the weigh station's hours, and it's a good idea. The longer the station is open, the fewer trucks pass through unchecked. Especially on weekends, enforcement at the state line is somewhere between lax and nonexistent.

A good start would be getting the station open 12 to 18 hours a day during the work week and ensuring more regular weekend hours. The weigh station can't catch every problem, but inspectors should at least have a chance to catch problems before they wreak havoc on the roads

It's not just trucks, of course, that pose safety risks. A practical way to keep unsafe cars and their drivers off the road would be an excellent idea, if such a method existed. In the meantime, the state should do everything it can to improve safety and cut down on accidents, and cracking down at the weigh stations is a necessary step.