4-Wheeler Nails The Back Of A Big Rig-Texas

More pics in link:
http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/fatal-crash-closes-us-59-2/

 

I don't know why they don't show the blood and guts. That's what makes you a safer driver. Just a pic of a smashed up car - that's not the reality of careless driving. A disservice to humanity IMHO. It's really dangerous out here.

 

I notice there are no fog line"rumble strips". Those have done a lot to save lives of distracted drivers. Looks like new road. Maybe they haven't yet gotten around to cutting them in.

 

What's the deal with those flimsy little bumpers on the back of trailers? You would think they'd want something a little stronger back there to keep cars from going under like that.

 

I'm no expert so I'm sure someone here will enlighten me if I'm wrong; that being said, you have to consider just what you're asking that ICC bar to stop - namely, a 3000+ lb vehicle traveling at highway speeds. Unfortunately it seems the tandems would do a better job of that than a welded-together steel or aluminum frame. Of course, by the time those tandems have stopped that vehicle, the car has already been turned into a convertible - the hard way.

Until some miracle of technology, metallurgy and/or design takes place to make this a moot point it's still up to all of us - both 4-wheelers and truckers - to not drive around with our heads up our rear ends, especially at freeway speeds. I think that's the only thing that would've saved the car and its driver.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, how about that semi stopped on the shoulder? How long was she there? Did she just pull over, or was she there for a good while? And, if she was on the shoulder for long enough, why didn't she have her triangles out? Were her four-way flashers engaged? I guarantee DOT is asking those very same questions right about now.

 

I get the fact that you can only ask so much of steel but I'm sure they can engineer something a little more sturdy than some 1/4" thick C-Channel welded to the back end of a trailer.

 

Here's an idea, quit running into the back of trailers, doesn't cost a thing and no engineering costs involved.

 

the article said the trucker had her 4 ways on

 

To my way of thinking, the ICC bumper did all one could expect in such a situation of an impact of a 4,000 pound vehicle traveling at 60+ MPH.
At those spends and energy, nothing is going to make the lives of the car front seat occupants any better, even if the ICC bumper held up and the car stopped instantaneously at the rear of the trailer, the car would have completely crushed through to the mid section.