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Highway mix of cars, semis still lethal [Separation of road and road]
Capital Times ^ | 8-21-06 | Dave Zweifel

Posted on 08/21/2006 6:50:52 PM PDT by SJackson

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation trumpeted it as good news.

Accidents involving big trucks on our state's roads and highways declined in 2005.

In fact, the State Patrol's Bureau of Transportation Safety said that the 7,762 truck crashes during the last year represented the lowest number in 16 years. Just 10 years ago, large truck crashes totaled more than 9,400, it said.

The number of people killed in crashes involving semis and other large trucks in 2005 was 94, the fewest since 1992, when 90 people perished in such collisions.

State Patrol Capt. Chuck Teasdale credited the better numbers to the patrol's "extensive safety inspections" and "close monitoring of drivers."

"Traffic law enforcement is another key component because it focuses on truck drivers' decisions and behaviors that often cause crashes," he said. "We also are working with trucking companies and organizations to educate drivers about safety issues."

Frankly, we could all use some good news about the growing dangerous mix of passenger cars and ever-more-powerful semis on the roads. Only a few days ago, another tractor-trailer rammed into the rear of stopped traffic on the Beltline, the driver unable to bring its heavy load to a stop. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, although traffic was stopped dead on the busy Beltline for most of the morning.

Drivers on the Jersey Turnpike last week weren't as fortunate. Four people were killed and four more injured when a flatbed truck loaded with bricks slammed into stopped traffic. The truck wasn't able to stop. It pushed one car under the trailer of another truck, killing three of the four people in it. It then careered over a guard rail and overturned, spilling the bricks onto a second car, killing the woman who was driving it.

Now it's true that trucks don't always run into the rear of passenger cars and it's also true that many of the accidents are more the fault of the car drivers than of the truck drivers. Trouble is, the car drivers don't stand much of a chance in an encounter between the two.

And it's also true that the lethal mix of the two is becoming more volatile as the increase in the number of cars and the growth of the trucking industry continue unabated. We may have had a good year in 2005, but that's bound to change as the unhealthy mix of the two gets more severe.

The time will come when passenger cars and trucks will have to be separated, either through a redesign of our national highway system or encouraging even more use of railroad rights of way.

Congratulations to the State Patrol for a good year, but don't hold your breath for the future.


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: baloney; transportation; trucking
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To: -YYZ-
Hi -YYZ-:

Well, good luck with your separate network of roadways specifically for trucks. In whose backyard will these new routes be constructed? Keep in mind that new roadways cost in the millions per mile, so I think that will indeed have a negative impact on my examples of a head of lettuce, gallon of milk, and roll of toilet paper.

~ Blue Jays ~

101 posted on 08/22/2006 7:44:48 AM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
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To: -YYZ-
I know what yer sayin... ...and agree to a point. The 75 MPH however, I find a bit exaggerated however. Most trucks, especially to company owned day cabs and local trucks you speak of, are governed @ 68 to 72 MPH. Most insurance companies will not write a company unless their fleet is compliant.

The owner operators/long haul drivers, are supposed to abide by these rules also...giving a little latitude for the area in which they haul.

In my final years of being on the road, I had a company truck that would do 98MPH with a load. Did I do 98 in the city? No, not in a million. But, when I was way out in the sticks, in a state where the cops do not even look at ya fer doin 80, I used to make up a little time.;o) Trucks and cars IMO can be together on the road. Like trucks however, it takes cooperation from both cars AND trucks for it to work. Unfortunately, it takes what we say about most of societal law... Enforce the rules you have already in place, before we go passing more laws. If we enforce laws such as reckless driving for cars and trucks the same, then we should be able to handle things without to much of a problem. But, it is easier to blame the trucks, than to try to educate and instill common sense into ALL of the cars...

102 posted on 08/22/2006 7:46:38 AM PDT by sit-rep (http://trulineint.com/latestposts.asp)
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To: Dave in Eugene of all places

Had no idea. We always signal for them.


103 posted on 08/22/2006 7:54:28 AM PDT by ozaukeemom (Nuke the ACLU and their snivel rights!)
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To: hotshot
Hi hotshot-

How will www.dangeroustrucker.com make money? Wouldn't it be easier to simply encourage decent motorists to contact police when they witness dangerous driving whether by cars, trucks, motorcycles, or whatever?

~ Blue Jays ~

104 posted on 08/22/2006 7:54:51 AM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
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To: TonyRo76

I know what you mean about the traffic, Tony! My daughter and I went to Columbus for a weekend last fall and stayed at the Hilton at Polaris. I couldn't believe the growth and the traffic! Sleepy little Westerville is no more! Franklin and Delaware Counties have merged into one! We live in the Cincinnati area now (Milford). Same thing here -- building everywhere. BTW -- I graduated from Capital. Used to be a good Lutheran school -- a long time ago!


105 posted on 08/22/2006 7:57:23 AM PDT by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: Blue Jays

Uh, yeah, I ain't exactly holding out a lot of hope for it to ever happen. In hindsight, though, knowing now how much truck traffic we have on our roads, we might have planned it that way originally.


106 posted on 08/22/2006 7:59:29 AM PDT by -YYZ-
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To: HamiltonJay
80,000lb trucks don't stop as fast as a car, you are right... so tell me why when I'm doing 5 miles over the speed limit and look in my mirror the Semi behind me isn't remotely far enough back to stop if there was an emergency??

Well he can see a lot farther down the road than you can. If you can get out of his way and let him roll please do so. If he isn't moving he isn't making money. Between fuel, road taxes, insurance, etc. he needs to make 2.5 to 3 dollars a mile. If he isn't moving he doesn't get paid. And lastly not all truckers are as well trained as we would like but with the severe shortage companies are hiring straight from school.

107 posted on 08/22/2006 8:02:38 AM PDT by Hazcat
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To: -YYZ-
Hi -YYZ-:

In hindsight that might have been a good design for the roadway network, true, true. Our likely best bet right now is to modernize and retrofit our zillions of miles of existing railroad track to withstand higher loads (improved beds and concrete ties) and faster speeds. I'm sure freight and passenger trains could share the same tracks to many locations with careful scheduling.

~ Blue Jays ~

108 posted on 08/22/2006 8:06:31 AM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
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To: uptoolate

I like truck drivers.

I don't drive long distances very much - usually my major trip is Houston to Dallas and back - but when I do, the truckers seem to "watch out" for people.

The last time I went to Dallas, one trucker and I shared the road for about half the trip. I'd stop for gas and catch up to him, and we'd honk . . . then he'd have to pull over and would catch up to me in a few minutes, and we'd honk again.

It made a very boring drive interesting.


109 posted on 08/22/2006 8:14:06 AM PDT by Xenalyte (No movie shall triumph over "Snakes on a Plane.")
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To: Blue Jays; apackof2

Another explanation might be that apackof2 is a girl, and we girls are known to refer to our female cronies as "girlfriends".


110 posted on 08/22/2006 8:15:15 AM PDT by Xenalyte (No movie shall triumph over "Snakes on a Plane.")
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To: hotshot

Now, why is it that you managed to capitalize "A" and "CDL", but no words that started any sentence in your post?


111 posted on 08/22/2006 8:19:38 AM PDT by Xenalyte (No movie shall triumph over "Snakes on a Plane.")
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To: Centurion2000
We have one ... it's called a railroad.

Not around here....all the nature lovers around here have pulled up the rails to make biking/hiking trails.

I understand smaller trucks making in-town/regional deliveries but I've never understood why the railroad with its potential for 24/7 motion and vast freight-to-personnel ratio is not the dominant means of moving goods especially with fuel prices, road congestion, etc. Many tractor-trailers I have seen make deliveries are usually less than half full (although that's anecdotal).

112 posted on 08/22/2006 8:20:50 AM PDT by relictele
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To: TonyRo76

You're making a presumption all truck drivers are union. My husband is an o/o, and not union. He detests union stores he has to deliver to. He has to wait for his apptmt time regardless if they are busy or not. He avoids them like the plague if he can.


113 posted on 08/22/2006 8:21:37 AM PDT by Not just another dumb blonde
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To: uptoolate

Feel better?


114 posted on 08/22/2006 8:26:30 AM PDT by gogeo (The /sarc tag is a form of training wheels for those unable to discern intellectual subtlety.)
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To: SJackson
Here you have huge semi's going along at 70 mph just two feet away from you. (in California they're supposed to be
going 55 max) When you have one on each side of you, that's
really white knuckle time!
115 posted on 08/22/2006 8:29:37 AM PDT by upcountryhorseman (An old fashioned conservative)
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To: Hazcat
Yer just not gonna stop 80,000 lbs as fast as a car.

That should be a required sign on every interstate. It would sure have me on my toes.

116 posted on 08/22/2006 8:43:34 AM PDT by PLOM...NOT! (Checking in from Wisconsin)
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To: rahbert

Dude, you are one crazy hombre riding a motorcycle on the freeway everyday!
It must take you an hour to come down from the adrenaline rush - just from staying aware!
Stay safe out there.


117 posted on 08/22/2006 9:01:02 AM PDT by 1forall (America - my home, my land, my country.)
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To: Hazcat

Again, you are missing the point.. its called an EMERGENCY.. it has nothing to do with him seeing 10 miles down the road.. my tire blows, or someone darts out in front of me, he's not going to see that coming, and isn't far enough back to remotely stop in time.

I know they have to move to make money, I have nothing against them making a buck.. but please don't try to gross neglect by many truck drivers on people in cars.

Cars do stupid things, no doubt and when some fool in a subcompect whips over in front of you with inches to spare and a truck rear ends them because of the car drivers stupidity... by all means I am not going to hold the driver of the truck at fault.

However, I can tell you ROUTINELY trucks don't keep adequate distance behind cars on highways, cars that aren't doing anything wrong. And while I live in a state full of mountains, don't even get me started on trucks that move into the fast lane doing 35-40mph going up a hill, cutting off traffic moving at the speed limit.

I know there are a lot of safe drivers out there, but I know there are a heck of a lot who aren't either.

Personally I'm a firm believer in returning to rail for distance transportation with trucks being relied on only for last leg of deliveries. But as I said somewhere else in this thread, that would require investment into our rail infrastructure, which by and large in DC is a DOA when talking transportation.

They'd much rather fund a 16 lane road that halves the nation and lets chinese good be delivered to Mexico and then transported to Canada without any american ever touching them....


118 posted on 08/22/2006 9:12:55 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: Blue Jays; nascarnation; carlr; metmom
Are you calling me a liar?

You obvious have some kind of screw loose to write something like this

Well that serves her right for cheating on her spouse. Her poor husband is busy making angry calls to trucking companies about alleged perverts and meanwhile she is straying into the arms of another man. She has a lot of nerve.

My girlfriend is a stay at home mom who home-schools her children not some "pavement princess" that you seem to imply and are probably more acquainted with.

My girlfriend was on her way back from her mom's house with her 3 small children when the PERVERT trucker started making indecent gestures which I won't repeat! And it wasn't a distance of over a hundred miles as you IMAGINE

PERSONALLY I was driving to KY to attend a conference less than 2 months ago I was accosted by a PERVERT trucker who held a sign up to me that said "Show me your boobs"

Plus 2 incidents that I can think of that I was almost ran off the road by truckers who wanted to get over WITHOUT using a signal on that same trip

Plus if you had bothered to read my earlier post instead of ignorantly shooting from the hip, you would have read that I realize that not ALL TRUCKERS are not like those I mentioned and those who are give other truckers a BAD NAME

Unlike you who reduces all motorists to a stereotype i.e. " motorists who experienced some road rage because they were delayed for ten seconds while rushing to Starbucks for their venti, half-foam, half-soy, vanilla/caramel espresso frappuccino.

FACTS are funny things

You should try using some

Scheech!

119 posted on 08/22/2006 9:14:45 AM PDT by apackof2 (They wait on you hand and foot so they can charge you an arm and a leg)
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To: Centurion2000
A second interstate system, a wonderful, progressive, idea.

We have one ... it's called a railroad.

Why would you use infrastructure you have to maintain when you can just start a trucking company and use the public's?

120 posted on 08/22/2006 9:22:26 AM PDT by gura
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