Truck Driver Charged With Criminally Negligent Homicide

With video at the intersection, it would be easy to determine if a driver sped up at an intersection to beat the light, a likely reckless driving citation and more would follow if there were an accident.

 

We use to have a ton of if this light is flashing then be prepared to stop. Good and simple but they just disappeared.

 

I have run into similar situations, most memorable was in Boise. Heading along on a 45mph road, loaded pickup and trailer, all brakes in good working condition, started getting on the brakes when the light went yellow, then it went red and I just flat out could not stop in time. All trailer brakes locked, front tires on the truck in and out of lock, but it was not happening. Luckily the folks waiting to go saw the issues I was having and waited for me to slide through there.

 

Going south into Owensboro there's the flashing yellow light warning you to prepare to stop, it works so great for me.
But there are still a lot of black marks and a set where the truck had to take the shoulder for some reason

 

If you want a intersection, try US 15 and Battlefield Road near Manassas VA. You are trained to examine the pavement for 4 diamonds cut into it. Get your rig on at least one or better two of them while you still have the green. Those diamonds sit there sniffing for rigs and are made to hold the green for you.

Otherwise it's WHOA nellie and ###### if you don't trigger the ABS to make the stop.

Ive blown lights before. In specific situations. State police can write all they want to. After I pick a spot and stop for them. What I will NOT do is shake the #### freight down all over that trailer back there.

 

This would cost money but I believe every light on a high speed highway should have the "be prepared to stop when flashing" signs installed on them. Two of my cousins grew up without their mother because of this very situation. Unfortunately a lot of drivers out here are in too big a hurry or too ornery or just too dumb to think what will happen if they put themselves in a position where they can't stop for a red signal. When we approach a signal we need to adjust our speed to be certain we can stop in time if the light goes red. Even if it costs a little time it beats putting yourself in a situation where you could slaughter someone's mother and put yourself in prison. That's the world we live in today. Make an error in judgment in a truck, go to prison I guess. Maybe it bothers me so much because it happened to my family I don't know.

In addition to that, I think every yellow light should have uniform requirements for how long they are, five seconds, seven seconds, whatever. They should all be the same length and everyone should know what it is. People would still try to beat it but at least it would give a truck ample time to stop without landing in the middle of an intersection or running all the way through it or worse.

I wouldn't be against using some highway fund money for those purposes.

 

There are quite a few things being used with some success in Europe and in other Lands. America is slow and asleep at the switch to adopt some of these useful items.

I for one am supportive of the timer block next to all lights. That should soothe some ruffled feathers knowing that tick tock they get to go soon. Or whoa soon.

 

Ohio has removed most of their "Prepare to stop when flashing" signs over recent years. Apparently, they did a study that showed more fatal and severe crashes at those intersections due to people hammering the throttle when lights started flashing.

I spent a few years out in the Republic of Illinois and noticed several intersections where there was a long delay (maybe 5 seconds) from the time a light turned red to the other direction turning green. With all the racing to beat lights, this doesn't seem to be a bad idea at all.

 

I've seen those countdown clocks in Dominican Republic and Mexico too, never saw them in Cuba.
First time I saw them I was like Why we don't have this in USA?