ROUTE 2 SAFETY LETTER

Jonathan Rohrs was killed on October 4, 2020 on Route 2 in Greenfield when an oncoming car crossed into his lane, killing him instantly in a head-on collision [1]. 

This should have never happened. 

It is no secret that Route 2 is deadly. Most of the road—including the part where Jonathan was killed—is undivided, with a high speed limit. After a nearby crash in 2019, Shelburne Deputy Fire Chief Jim Burnham called driving on Route 2 “the most dangerous thing you do every day” [2]. Phillipston Fire Chief Charles Jones estimates one death per year on Route 2 between Phillipston and Athol alone [3]. 

It is time for change. 

Installing lane dividers along Route 2 would dramatically increase safety. A 1992 study found that plastic delineators in the median had “obvious” safety benefits and reduced the chance of a head-on collision [4]. In addition, reducing the speed limit from 55 MPH to 40 MPH would reduce the risk of fatalities in the case of a collision [5].

Jonathan was a kind and generous soul, loved by many friends and family. Jon grew up in Deerfield, attended MIT, lived in Acton and worked as a software engineer in Natick. At the time of the fatal crash, he was grocery shopping for his recently widowed father in Deerfield. 

It is time to assess the danger of the undivided sections of Route 2 and prevent fatalities like this from ever occurring again. The loss of just one life is a tragedy. But a pattern of preventable deaths should be unconscionable to all citizens. Will you help make Route 2 safer?