New York’s Taconic State Parkway: A Road Possessed?

It seems that every time I glance at the Hudson Valley headlines, the Taconic Parkway has injured or taken another life.

The latest accident on the Taconic, according to the Putnam Daily Voice, happened on Monday, December 18, when a car carrying four passengers veered off the roadway and hit an embankment in Yorktown. Volunteer firefighters had to physically remove a door to rescue the four passengers.

I've driven the 104-mile long Taconic dozens of times over the years, and find it to be one of the most beautiful parkways during the day, but turns otherworldly when night falls.

The speed limit is supposedly 55 mph, but it appears to be only a suggestion. While I'm driving 65, many cars go flying by at 80. Here's a short list of some of the most notable crashes on the Taconic Parkway:

1. July 2009 - 36-year-old mother drives 1.7 miles in the wrong direction and crashes head-on into an SUV. Eight people lost their lives.
2. August 2015 - 4 people died when a northbound SUV hit the center median and went airborne and crashed into two cars in the southbound lane. The driver of that SUV was driving with his knees.
3. January 2017 - Pleasantville man drives off the road in Yorktown and goes 75 feet down an embankment.
4. March 2016 - Three accidents happened on the same weekend at the same intersection where Pudding St. intersects with the Taconic. All three accidents were caused by the drivers who apparently thought that the 'Yield Right of Way' law was only a suggestion.

From a guy who's driven the Taconic a bunch of times, tackle the parkway only during the day and keep your speed between 55 and 65 mph.

Be forewarned, the parkway monsters come out during the dark of night.

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