When I set out to write my opinion piece every week I strive to find new topics or a new theme. Sometimes the previous week’s topic warrants a little more time or a few more comments. Rarely do I set out to take an active role in my piece. Unfortunately, I found myself at the crossroads of my very piece from last week concerning traffic on I-295 and the reasons for increased accidents on the highway.

My belief from the article was that speed was not the sole problem for accidents on the highway, but one of many reasons as to why there are more accidents. Events from Friday night helped prove my case.

I was traveling home after work looking forward to a great weekend with my family. There was no real weather to speak of and traffic seemed manageable. For a Friday evening, all was going according to plan. That is until I reached the Yarmouth area.

Between the two Yarmouth exits I encountered a tan colored Volvo station wagon that was driving erratically. I passed the Volvo and noticed the driver seemed to be somewhat distracted. In my rear view mirror the car moved from side to side and crossed over the dotted lane marker.

At least I was ahead of him. Or so I thought.

Moments later the Volvo came up on my left at a high rate of speed and nearly drove a car off of the road. Now, the road became very tight and very small.

From Yarmouth to Freeport the car changed lanes rapidly half a dozen times. Sometimes fading into the break down lane and going off road. Sometimes transitioning across the two lanes and running into the median. This car was all over the pavement.

By this point the caravan of cars behind this driver was beginning to grow and yet no one wanted to take a chance to pass. For better or worse we were all on this ride together. Traveling at 40 miles per hour, then speeding up to 70 and 75 miles per hour, the next ten miles became a dangerous odyssey for us all.

Becoming ever more concerned as each mile passed by, I called the Brunswick Police Department. They quickly put me in contact with the Maine State Police. Both agencies confirmed that they had received more than a dozen calls about this wayward motorist. They were also doing what they could to find the car and investigate what was going on. The problem was that a Trooper was miles away.

There we were on I-295 looking like the pace lap at the Indianapolis 500 lead by an incoherent pace car. By this point there may been 50 vehicles or more in our little circus many, I am sure, with the same thoughts as to how this would end.

While I was talking to the State Police the Volvo radically turned to the right, directly in front of me, and launched itself over the small snowbank on the side of the break down lane. I have never thought of a Volvo as the choice for off road enthusiasts, but the little wagon outperformed itself and moved with little problem amongst the snow and ice. Twice the car went off the road and into the snowbanks without so much as slowing down.

Eventually we started to approach Exit 28 and the long climb up hill on the highway. The Volvo began to accelerate in the driving lane as we were going up. About halfway up the hill the car began to wiggle side to side and then turned hard to the left traveling into the passing lane.

The Volvo and its steering-challenged captain came to a hard rest as it crossed over the snow bank and gently impacted the guardrail in the median. Only then did a State Police cruiser come into view in the distance behind us.

I should say that both the Brunswick Police Department Dispatch and the State Police were courteous and honest in their assessment of the situation. They knew about the ongoing problem but there was no unit in the area that was going to be able to quickly affect the situation. This person drove for a significant amount of time and did not hurt himself or someone else, but for the grace of God.

We can be thankful that this person, whether they were suffering a medical event or were unable to safely operate the motor vehicle, did not cause an injury to someone. We can also look at this as yet another reason why that stretch of road is dangerous. If we want I-295 to be safe, we must look at having more assets on the road for enforcement and safety.

That’s my two cents, again.

Jonathan Crimmins lives in Brunswick and can be reached at j_ [email protected]