Letters to the Editor
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Nothing cool about speeding down dirt roads
I'm sorry for the author's loss, but as someone who grew up on a farm off a gravel road, I don't see anything romantic about speeding down dirt roads. I'm thankful that the people who barreled down the gravel road next to our house only succeeded in killing 2 of our dogs and several cats instead of my brother or myself or my parents. Several of them did manage to kill themselves in car accidents. Some managed to take out other innocent passengers in other cars - I remember one particular accident that killed a grandmother and her 5 year old granddaughter. (The grandmother wasn't speeding but the guy who plowed into her car was.)
Farm roads are full of hazards - slow moving farm equipment, loose gravel or uneven dirt roads, deer and other wild animals, kids riding horses, tall corn crops that block intersections. Typically speed limits are lower on these roads, and they are for a reason.
I've already seen a couple of letters from people reminiscing about their own days of speeding down country roads. I love to drive fast as much as anyone, but I don't because I realize how dangerous it is. I hope others reading this article do as well.