Three accidents, three deaths

[Critters2]

When I was driving home from Iowa, Tuesday, I sat in a traffic jam for hours on US 20, only to learn that a woman had been killed in a car accident. The traffic slowed just before I got to the Menard's entrance, so I think I was really close to the accident scene when it happened. Here's the story:
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=206844

When I stopped to get gas south of Dubuque, several people were talking about how they had been in that traffic jam and some had seen the accident. The gas station clerk then told us about another accident near his station that had taken place that morning. A man was killed. Here's that story:
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=206943

When I finally make it back here, my neighbor and later my assistant told me about an accident near here the day before. Also a death in this one. Here's the story:
http://www.newstrib.com/articles/news/local/default.asp?article=48CAE31D324DF7D488A720DEE5A3E1C971718E84030BABFF


So, first it saddens me that all these deaths occurred, of course. I'm also wondering if people are driving less carefully, or, well, :wtf:

This is probably going on all around me all the time, and I'm just unaware. But this really struck me. So sad.

[stuntcat]

1. maybe

maybe it's the Threes deal.. how bad things come in threes. Maybe you hearing about the three deaths is for some reason, like to make you extra careful the next few days.
I'd watch out for nuts driving. I mean I'm sure you're already going to!

[KitchenWitch]

2. It may be that folks are pretty stressed out from all the flooding...

Not thinking clearly behind the wheel can be deadly.

[no name no slogan]

3. I was going to make a snide comment about "Driving While Iowan"

(in the spirit of the good-natured ribbing that goes on between Iowa and Minnesota) but I'm just not into it tonight.

That's really strange, and sad. Wow.

[KitchenWitch]

5. ...

:spank:

Remember the navy blue and white printed Iowa license plates?

[madinmaryland]

6. LIEberman? WTF??

:wtf:

[no name no slogan]

7. JoeIs44.com

Don't fuck with JOEmentum.

[Swede]

4. Last week a motorcycle hit the midian guardrail and both people flew into oncoming traffic.

The driver got killed,and the passenger is ok. High speed was blamed.

[Critters2]

8. High speed seems to have played a role in all of these.

The accident in Dubuque happened on this odd stretch of US 20, where the road goes from being four-lane divided with limited access, 65 mph, to basically a busy city street, also four-lane and divided but much lower speed and business entrances turning into it. I've always been very careful when making that transition, because if one is not really alert trouble is just lurking there. I suspect that driver who ran the red light was just cruising along at highway speed. Not the best designed road, but manageable if you get your speed down and pay attention.

It's almost certain the car that jumped the median on 61 and the semi that high the tow truck operator were speeding.