The rise of trucking accidents

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by iceman32, Nov 24, 2018.

  1. camionneur

    camionneur Road Train Member

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    Last edited: Nov 27, 2018
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  3. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

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    Hee is a whole list of studies stating that wrecks do not happen more with higher speeds. In some of the studies they went down as more people moved to using roads designed for the higher speeds (Interstate vs. county roads for example.)
    https://www.motorists.org/issues/speed-limits/studies/

    From EVALUATION OF MICHIGAN 70-MPH SPEED LIMIT
    On August 1, 1996, the speed limit on certain sections of Michigan freeways increased from 104.6 to 112.6 km/h (65 to 70 mph). This was due to the Michigan Legislature passing a bill that permitted the governor of Michigan to increase the speed limit given that a study be conducted to determine the effects on safety and capacity. Michigan State University conducted the study that determined the effects of increasing the speed limit on certain sections of highway. This study examined not only freeways that were increased to 112.6 km/h (70 mph), but also the speeds and capacities of freeway sections where the speed limit was not increased. Different types of speed analyses were done in comparing the test sections where the speed limits were raised with the control sections where the speed limits were not raised. The analysis also included categorizing the roadway into intercity and recreational routes to determine the effect on speeds for different uses in road use. The speed data also were broken down into different vehicle types. A preliminary accident analysis was performed on the control and test sections to determine the effect of increasing the speed limit on accidents. It was proved that increasing the speed limit on certain sections of freeway in Michigan had little effect on the change in speed and capacity on both test and control sections.

    From New York DOT Study
    The report found that overall on the 65 mph system the fatal accident rate decreased by 29 percent, the total accident rate decreased by 4 percent and the injury accident rate decreased by 5 percent. The report compared statistics of the three years prior to the speed limit change with the three years after the speed limit changed in 1995.

    From Evaluation of Lower Speed Limits on Urban Highways
    A study from the University of Nebraska. Excerpt: “The results of the analysis of the accident experience in speed zones indicate that zones with posted speed limits equal to the reasonable speed limits proposed by the NDOR method of speed zoning are safer than zones with posted speed limits that are 5 and 10 mph below the reasonable speed limits.”
     
  4. camionneur

    camionneur Road Train Member

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    [​IMG]
     
  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Get in front of them and pitch a few marbles on the highway. That'll get their attention fast.
     
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  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Take the dispatch, appointments, shippers and receivers out of the picture. Give someone 10 days to California and call in when empty.

    That wont help.

    Governing the trucks and then expecting a fleet daily miles qouta with a morning sunrise roundup of late drivers to call in explaining why.

    That's been going on for decades. The fleets did that to themselves.

    Never mind the dump trucks. Half of them could not pass a DOT inspection anyway.

    The me has been in place for decades if you are in Ohio needing 10 miles to pass me on a two lane interstate that is what you will be doing Mr Me. I had a tractor governed to 61 one time, stayed in it two days. The sawing of the top gears (Two) required between 57 and 61 make the situation impossible. Unless you accepted a 7th gear run at 49.

    THAT is the fleet's blame and I get to share that part because I was stupid enough to take that tractor out for a run.

    If millions of you refused to drive a governed truck and live the current situation on the highways that is so bad, then the fleets would go out of business in a few weeks. That would not serve anyone. So you are hungry and have to pay the bills and climb into a 62 mph truck that runs in a 85 mph texas. HA.

    I can go on. But this problem has been going on back in the early 90's and got worse with the constant addition of technology BS into all the big trucks. Im sorry if I love the old iron, air starts and 5 miles to gallon. It's not better than 6 miles to gallon tractor that costs 5 times as much filled with bells and alarms for every little problem. HA.
     
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  7. tinytim

    tinytim Road Train Member

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    That's a blast from the past. That crash was more than a year ago and it really got a lot of attention from those high up. I remember that opp talking head, Schmidt, seemed shaken by that one.

    Never did hear exactly what happened. Some say the cause was a 4 wheeler cutting off the truck.

    You can look to regulation, technology or what have you but it comes down to people simply not using their heads. In the crash the video is about it happened at the bottom of one of those rolling hills north of Toronto. It was night time. Everyone who crested that hill would have seen the sea of red brake lights at the bottom and known that in about a kilometer they would be coming to a stop.

    How many putting on 4 ways to alert those behind them? How many started slowing early? How many raced down to the bottom to avoid the unthinkable loss of 15', 30' or even god forbid a couple hundred feet of real estate due to others getting there first? Gotta race to the end of the line!

    Crashes like that one, where someone plows into stopped traffic have become way too frequent. The way many drivers approach stopped traffic in situations like that is totally nonsensical. I'd love to see an education campaign on how to deal with those situations. I don't know what it is about driving but many intelligent people don't make smart decisions behind the wheel.
     
  8. camionneur

    camionneur Road Train Member

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    Apparently this can be problem, especially when two large vehicles are travelling 20mph faster in opposite directions: "The posted speed limit is 75 mph... when the driver lost control of the vehicle, entered the 33-foot-wide depressed earthen median, jackknifed, and continued into the westbound lanes—striking a 2015 MCI motorcoach." Go back in time and lower their speed limit to 55mph, and I don't see that accident happening, or being so deadly.
     
  9. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    In Maryland a stretch of 95 between roughly White Marsh to Maryland House/Tydings Bridge has a special problem when it's 4 lane during rush.

    Someone makes a major screwup all 4 lanes crash stop at once.

    There I am at 70 with no place to put the #### thing. Ive had about 7 total emergency stops on that stretch. Came very close to hitting people.

    When a 80mph herd all stops across 4 lanes at the same time smoking tires etc can YOU?
     
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  10. tinytim

    tinytim Road Train Member

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    Never been there but I'd be surprised if it has a 'special' problem. It's the same anywhere. If you can't see what's going on 20 or 30 seconds up the road and you don't have a nice space cushion you're taking a stupid risk.
     
    x1Heavy Thanks this.
  11. BobRed99

    BobRed99 Bobtail Member

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    That's when I grab mine and wave it down at them. I'd be lying if I didn't use my phone, however no ones around. It's like most guys have no shame in it. Can't even drop it for passing or being passed?!? And watching movies is asking me to swerve at a #######.
     
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