When entering a highway from a complete stop, good judgment is key. Ron Parrs, who has been an instructor with The Next Street driving schools since 2018, said new drivers must develop that skill. They need to learn how to determine whether they have enough time and space to speed up and match the rest of traffic without forcing cars on the highway to brake. “Can this be nerve-wracking? Absolutely,” Parrs said. “Will ‘experienced’ drivers behind them blow their horns or act aggressively? Yes.” Still, entering a highway from a stop is a skill Connecticut drivers must learn to drive on some highways. On the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which is part of Route 15, there are eight interchanges with at least one entrance ramp controlled by a stop sign. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has projects in the design stages that would include removing stop signs and adding acceleration lanes at some of those interchanges to reduce crashes. At one entrance ramp, located at Interchange 51 in Hamden, there were more than 400 crashes over a five-year period.
Connecticut still has parkway entrance ramps with stop signs. Here’s what could change
