This article over at ZeroHedge ("These Are The States With The Highest Freeway Fatalities") is summed up in its last sentence. Presented by a law firm, the article concludes: "“It’s time for decisive, proactive measures that prioritize lives over speed,” the spokesperson added."

“States like Wyoming, New Mexico, and Missouri consistently see alarmingly high rates of interstate freeway crashes. Factors such as long rural stretches, high-speed travel, and limited visibility often create dangerous driving conditions that put lives at risk every day.”

They present "statistics" that imply Wyoming has the highest fatality rate "per 100,000". Wyoming having little population, vast regions of open territory, and two interstate highways carrying heavy - non-Wyoming residents - inter-state travel, it's easy to develop numbers showing Wyoming is the most dangerous ... but limited visibility? In some places maybe, but in others you can see 15-20 miles ahead. To say nothing of "rural" implying low traffic density.

Wyoming's population is under 600,000. If there are 6 highway fatalities in Wyoming, that's a "death rate" of 6 per 100,000. That could be a singe bad accident. Six highway deaths in California (pop about 40 million) wouldn't even register. There are about 20,000,000 people in NY. It would take 200 deaths for NY to have a death rate of 1 per 100,000; 1200 to "match" that 6 per 100,000 in Wyoming.

(reported actual numbers for Wyoming: 31.6 average fatal crashes per year/5.4 crashes per 100,000 between 2019 and 2023. No report of number of fatalities per crash).

Here's where they get down to it:
"The law firm called on policymakers to take concrete steps, recommending a stronger highway patrol presence, improved road lighting and signage, and the use of technology to monitor high-risk zones. Public education on speed control and defensive driving was also highlighted as a critical need."

I've driven every Interstate of the west and many back east. I'd suggest I-75 in Kentucky, or I-66 in Virginia, or I-95 most anywhere, or I-90/94 in Chicago, or any highway near Atlanta are far more dangerous than I-80/25 in Wyoming or I-90 in Montana. Though I-70 in Missery can be interesting, especially near St Louis or Kansas City.

Damn! I'm not fond of the direction people with too much power are forcing "technology" on to those with not enough. Too late to change it though.

I was sitting on the concrete stoop in front of my duplex drinking a brew and rebuilding a 4 barrel carburetor in a paint roller pan half full of gasoline. Parts were all over the place, gas spilled everywhere and it was hot as all get out in the summer of 1983 in southwest FL.

Got out of jail 2 weeks prior and still hadn’t got paid from my new job so I was a broke dik dawg, bad! I had a cheap boom boxed hooked up to a guitar amp and was cranking a cassette tape by 38 special and the song “Hold On Loosely” was playing, when an angel appeared before my very eyes. 

Long blonde hair, nice tan, and legs that went all the way up. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and said, “I can almost hear your music all the way over at my place.” I didn’t hear a word she said, I just stared and my mouth was probably hanging open. After a second or 2 I asked, “Er, uh, what did you say?” She chuckled lightly and asked if she could watch what I was doing. I was numb from the neck up and don’t remember what I said as she sat cross legged on the grass a few feet out in front of me. I gathered my wits and asked her if she wanted a beer and she said she didn’t drink. I asked her if she wanted a glass of water or a coke and she said a coke would be good, so I jumped up and ran in to get one out of the fridge.

Yes, I ran! Already I couldn’t stand to be away from her.

I was trying to put this Holley carburetor back together while chit chatting with her and I never was a good multitasker. After about half an hour of doing it half wrong at half the speed I told her I’ll need to go get a manual and finish it up later. I asked her if she wanted to get something to eat after I get cleaned up and she said “Sure.”, and I told her she would have to drive and she said that was OK.

Less than an hour into it and I was already knowing she was gonna be my wife. There’d been a lot of traffic on this highway and I’d felt like this before, many times, but this time was different some how….

I was a wild eyed southern boy.

Your baby needs someone to believe in.
And a whole lot of space to breathe in.
So hold on loosely, but don’t let go.
If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.

youtube dot com/watch?v=vJtf7R_oVaw

First published May 18, 2025

I mean ... if you were to picture a stereotypical bureaucrat in your mind, isn't this what you'd picture?

One of those late spring/early summer days that couldn't make up its mind as to which it wanted to be: cool, warm, cloudy, clear.
Decided to take a drive "around the block" - this particular block being about a 25 mile drive.

The May flowers were in bloom and not an internet site to be found anywhere around.