I’m writing in response to the article on Sunday, Oct. 19, concerning all the crashes on I-95 between Waterville and Augusta.

I have driven that area thousands of times as a former UPS driver and a resident of Waterville and Sidney. I tend to agree with some of the reasons presented — the aggressive driving and inattention as causes — but one reason is no fault of the drivers: the hydroplaning situation.

The entire length, up until this year’s repaving, was deeply rutted from heavy truck traffic. When a good rain storm would come, the ruts filled with water, causing cars to hydroplane. Unless a driver has a heavy commercial vehicle, they can lose control of their car at any moment. It is like driving on ice. Even at 45 mph in some places, a car can slide. Hopefully, for the next few years, with the new surface, it won’t be dangerous anymore. 

As for the accidents in construction zones, when drivers see road signs indicating a closed lane two miles ahead, that’s not the time to merge into one lane. There is a traffic maneuver called the zipper merge, when drivers use both lanes until they come to the point where it merges to one lane; if everyone in the open lane alternates letting one car in, things move more smoothly. We don’t have massive backups with a wide open lane for two miles. Many states educate the public on this, but I’ve yet to see Maine do it.

Donald Fournier
Waterville