Hotel bus slams into tractor-trailer

Legal or not to make a U-turn on that road, that trucker was never going to clear that median as he finished his maneuver.

Besides, most companies have a no U-turn policy regardless of it's legal or not. And Michigan Lefts aren't classified as U-turns.

 

80ft joints. Not that bad in the wide open spaces. A different story in the mountains. What a guy will do for a buck.

 

Ya, he did all he could... including leaving over 100ft of skid marks. Which makes you wonder just how fast he was going.

 

How can you all jump on the trucker for making a LEGAL turn... In fact how can you even call it a stupid move and whatever else you "perfect" people are saying... The guy was making a legal manoeuvre, how is it his fault (or stupidity as some of you say) that the bus driver was going so fast that he couldn't stop her bus in time... Did it ever occur to anyone that the bus driver might not have been paying attention (coupled with speeding) and didn't have enough to avoid a collision.. Like be real.. The bus slid like 160ft, are you telling me that at a regular speed this isn't enough stopping distance for this bus?? Or on another point that the bus driver couldn't see a long object going across the road??? This obviously is 100% the bus drivers fault... By most of your standards then, if you get rear ended by a car on the hwy then it must be your fault and not the guy's who hit you... Only common sense would tell us that you were not doing anything illegal or wrong but you are the one at fault.. This is what your basically saying right?? That when you do something legal and something bad happens it's still your fault.. This is why we have laws to stipulate what is right and what is wrong...

I have made U turns before... Nothing illegal about it... Noting stupid about it... If you can legally and safely do it then what makes it a stupid move....? Or is it that you all think because it's longer it shouldn't be doing it?? Tell me why it shouldn't and why a car can?? If they both can make the turn both legally and safety, give me one good reason why it's stupid??? HAD the bus driver not been speeding then this could have been avoided.. The marks STARTED 160ft away, which means the line of sight for the bus driver was further then this, how could he not have seen the truck??

Sorry for the rant and if anyone is offended.. I just don't see why because YOU might not have made a similar manoeuvre that all of a sudden it makes this a "stupid" move... Why not blame the person who was speeding, rather then the guy making a perfectly legal move... If you still blame the trucker as well, then next time you go thru a green light and a guy t-bones you running a red light make sure to blame yourself... Same difference....

 

You didn't offend me. You just made me realize I need to be more careful out there if others feel the way you do. A U-turn is legal when initiated from the INSIDE lane (and somehow I imagine the traffic engineer was not thinking of 70' trucks making U-turns from the outside lanes when he ok'd the signage), outside of that, it's just a bonehead maneuver.

Would it have been stupid to proceed down the road until such time he could find an alternate means to get back on track, so do the next stupid thing and make a u-turn on a busy thoroughfare? Wow.

From the California drivers handbook ...
Legal U-Turns

A U-turn is turning your vehicle around in the street to go back the way you came. To make a U-turn, signal and use the far left lane or the center left turn lane. You may make a legal U-turn:

• Across a double yellow line when it is safe and legal.
• In a residential district:
  • If there are no vehicles approaching you within 200 feet.
  • Whenever a traffic sign, light, or signal protects you from approaching vehicles.
• At an intersection on a green light or green arrow, unless a "No Uturn" sign is posted.
• On a divided highway, only if an opening is provided in the center divider.

Illegal U-Turns

Never make a U-turn:

• At or on a railroad crossing.
• On a divided highway by crossing a dividing section, curb, strip of land, or two sets of double yellow lines.
• Where you cannot see clearly 200 feet in each direction because of a curve, hill, rain, fog, or other reason.
• Where a "No U-Turn" sign is posted.
• When other vehicles may hit you.
• On a one-way street.
• In front of a fire station. Never use a fire station driveway to turn your vehicle around.
• In business districts. Areas with churches, apartments, multiple dwelling houses, clubs, and public buildings (except schools) are also considered to be business districts. Turn only at an intersection, unless a sign prohibits it, or where openings are provided for turns.

 

So when other vehicles may hit you is when you never make a U-turn ?? How are you suppose to know the vehicle may hit you when it's so far away?? Only a moron would not see a truck across the lanes.. Regardless if he was making the turn from the left lane or not... Would I try to find another way to turn around?? Depends on the circumstances of the road, traffic, how far I can see, weather etc.. Lots of variances to go by.. Would I make it in this area?? Maybe not but I don't know the area so I can't really say.. Most of my U-Turns (which isn't many) were on non busy roads, which lots of view in both directions so the conditions were right.. I wouldn't do it in a busy area I am not saying what he did was proper, all I am saying is what he did was legal and how is it his fault the bus driver was speeding (fact) and possibly not paying attention (speculation)..

I have made U-Turns from the left lane, legally and safety... As long as the road your turning onto is wide enough to make the turn... BTW Thanks for the information on California it's just too bad this happend in Georgia.. Maybe the rules are different or maybe they are the same.. The rules you posted have no affect on the place the accident happened... So go find some rules from Georgia....

Ok so lets just say for argument sake you MUST make it from the left turn lane, therefore you are not allowed to do it in a tractor-trailer.. Also lets not forget that you also said "engineers were not thinking about 70ft trucks making U-Turns".. Then tell me this... How do any of us make right hand turns? or left hand turns?? How do you make a turn from a 2 lane road onto a 1 lane road, surely you don't try to swing onto that 1 lane road from the dedicated right turn lane do you?? Cause I think you would take out some light poles or sidewalks... So if this is the case then what we do is illegal, cause if the engineers made the roads for big trucks then one would assume they would make extra wide lanes so we can do the turns from (and onto) our own lanes... Which means then that if you make a left turn from a intersection onto a 2 lane road, but you take the right lane as well to clean the median at the same time a car makes a right turn lane and collides with you, then you should be charged since your turning into their lane... Or lets take the right turn scenario.. To make your right turn onto a 1 lane from a 2 lane (3rd lane is a right turn lane) you crowd both the 2nd lane and turning lane.. Now some car squeezed between you and the curb... Is it fair you be charged then since after all you weren't in the right turn lane so now you are at fault...

Catch my drift... The roads are not made for trucks.. So you need to make due with what you have.. This includes the requirements of taking extra lanes to make your manoeuvres... Including U-Turns... If this was a illegal move that the driver made (if we go by your California rules) then why wasn't he charged???

 

ok. I pasted the first dmv guidance that came up on a google search. But by your logic, if the speed limit on the interstate is 70 MPH, and the roadway is covered with wet ice, we'd all be within our legal rights to drive 70 MPH? That's fantastic.

 

If you read what I type.. You would also notice that I said SAFELY in my post... I never said to do anything that is un-safe to do, that is unprofessional and idiotic... If the road is covered in wet ice and the speed limit says 70mph and your doing 70mph then you are being unsafe and driving like an idiot.... If someone chooses to drive 70mph on ice-covered roads then LEGALLY they can... If THEY feel it's safe to do so who are YOU or I to tell them differently... If he causes an accident he would be charged for driving to fast for the road conditions.... He is the one who caused the accident for driving to fast for the road conditions.. The U-Turning trucker didn't cause the accident because he was making a U-Turn on a dry road, the bus driver caused the accident for speeding and not observing what's in front of him...

I'm not gonna argue with you about this.... Making U-Turns doesn't make you a unsafe driver.. As long as it's safe to do so... If your a moron and pull a U-Turn directly infront of a hill let say then this makes you a unsafe driver... EVERY situation is different.. It's up to you as the driver to make the choice if it's safe or not... We don't know what transpired when the accident happend, but we do know the trucker wasn't charged so the cops obviously assessed the situation and deem the bus driver at fault (or pending charges)... For all you know the trucker could seen no traffic heading down the road and decided to make a U-Turn.... Then maybe the bus came out of the airport while he was mid U-Turn and the speeding bus didn't somehow see the truck (or maybe the bus misjudged the situation) and before they realized it boom they slid and hit the trailer... Don't you think if they driver did something unsafe like pull the U-turn right infront of the bus that he would have been charged for causing the accident???? Nah you didn't think about that, your just to eager to jump on the trucker because he made a manoeuvre that you don't agree with.. Well Texan like I said just because you wouldn't choose to make a U-Turn in a truck, doesn't mean everyone else has to follow your lead.

 

I'll post this google view of the accident location, again. I did not make any judgment call about the accident before I viewed the actual site. This is a primary thoroughfare, and it's adjacent to the busiest airport in the world so I don't suspect traffic was "light". If you can look at that street and location from a bird's eye view, and consider making that u-turn in a 70 foot rig, up-coming traffic or not, looking or not, more power to you. But I have a feeling that if that was your truck and your employed driver, and your legal and financial responsibilities, you wouldn't be so eager to cut the truck driver a lot of slack.

The trucker was originally headed from NE to SW as related to the photo.

Google View

 

While you are at it, what is the speed limit through there?

You seem to avoid thinking the van driver was at fault.

What if he had struck a car doing the same thing that the truck was?

Still the fault of the car and not the speeding van?

The police have found nothing wrong. I will take their judgement.