What's up with truck speeds regulated to 25 on I-90?

Icy cool brakes. Oh boy........ Good entertainment pal.

 

I have gone over that pass several times and twice last week. I can say that I get passed all the time. Sometimes you can tell they are empty and other times you can smell the brakes. I passed 2 trucks coming down McDonald pass a month ago and then one of the trucks passed me further down the mountain. By the time he got to the bottom, the brakes were boiling out smoke. So yeah I do the speed limit or below. I will never get why people are in such a hurry. What does it save you going faster, 10 minutes? You can not find another place to park in 10 minutes going across Montana.

Now if you are wanting to add an unsafe or reckless driving citation to your collection then have at it. We can bury you here or send the corpse home. There is a reason for the speed limits. I can tell you that you can stop a truck a lot safer at 25 mph than you can at 40, especially when loaded. Hell I hit an elk last week because I could not stop in time. 4:30 am and loaded. It is about being safe for you and the public so everyone gets home. Do I like it, no but I also have no problem doing it.

 

i have 15 years and i do the same.

some of them downhill speeds are just flat out ridiculous. but i can see from a newbie perspective to try to keep the safety.

and cars rear ending semi's. happens quite a bit on parleys summit. going UP

 

It's not near as good entertainment as watching the twisted pile of metal burn to the ground and the body hauled away in a bag from the driver who burnt up his brakes and ran it off the side of the mountain.

I never have been much of an entertainer though...

 

What Is A Speed Trap?

"A speed trap exists wherever traffic enforcement is focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving safety, made possible by speed limits posted below the prevailing flow of traffic."

 

Interesting. Also (as I'd basically suspected), the following data seems to be showing us that relative velocity is the prevailing factor in fatal impacts with trucks:

The relative velocity between light vehicles and trucks in this pass is at the mean or above (for fatal accidents), based on the difference in speed limits. I think it would be safer for them to either increase the truck speed regulation (which is comaratively low here) or decrease the the speed limit overall. Or more of both, to keep our relative velocities "reasonable and prudent".

 

That slow speed limit down that pass is stupid. I can go down fully loaded in 9th 40-45mph without having to use my brakes. During winter time it makes sense to go real slow.

 

Yeah, it was apparently set back in 1980, according to a newspaper article (and get this: by "Mooney" of the "Butte" division)!

Another article confirms my suspicion that the speed difference is dangerous too, as a high relative velocity accident has already occured between a light vehicle and truck there, in 2010 (going westbound, so if trucks go slower eastbound, this would more likely be a fatality).





Kissed their axle... looks like he was trying to pass too closely, judging by this narrow overlap collision with the truck bumper (which of course is to spec, and not strong enough at that). At least I saw it coming when I was there, and started tapping my brakes to dissuade an approaching vehicle from passing a line of traffic between me and the other lane, I could see we were going to intersect too closely... that vehicle took my hint and backed off to fall behind them.

 

Go down that mountain at 40 mph in a 25, that's a 15 over ticket and one more you get a 60 day vacation.

 

I always go by the posted speed limit up to 4 mph over, down any hill that has lower speed posted.. that pass is a reminder.. my trailer started to come around with jake brakes on. hit a patch of ice. turned it off and adjusted my speed to straighten out the trailer. It all happens in an instant.. yet in slow motion..