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Trapped Under Trucks

propublica.org

71–80 of 241 posts

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#71

As a European I see this kind of accident as a non issue because we use roundabouts. It is only important in the back of the truck. The main bug is using so many square corners road junctions in the US. Those are super dangerous.

Eh? There are normal turns all over Europe. In fact, my closest near miss was at one in France.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#72
post #7

Europe has mandatory underride guards for this reason since 20+ years ago.

They're called Mansfield bars in the US, named after the actress Jane Mansfield who died after colliding with a trailer. They're not required federally and not particularly effective as they're generally not inspected or maintained.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#73
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without putting blame anywhere and independently of who has the right of way, don't you just have your preservation instinct kicking in telling you that just giving a bit of brakes is not a bad idea, and that the risk/gain ratio of losing 10 seconds of your day vs. getting killed is not worth it?

In motorcycle safety courses, you're taught to never assume that other drivers can see you, in fact you are encouraged to operate as if you're invisible, and ride accordingly. Growing up, I was told that it's better to be alive than to be "right" as it pertains to right-of-way. You can either insist on continuing because it's your right, or you can brake early assuming they're going to cut you off.

Unfortunately I saw a video of a similar accident where the motorcycle driver slid under the truck which turned across the road unexpectedly in a similar way, and one of the wheels went over the rider. He survived for a couple of minutes, during which his riding buddy held his hand, and talked to him until the end.

Videos like this are quite disturbing but I would make watching some of them mandatory during the driving course. Some people just dont get they are literally driving lethal weapons.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#74
post #23
post #8

>An investigator with the local police department blamed the collision on the truck driver, who was initially charged with negligent homicide, though charges were eventually dropped I wonder why. Another issue is the size of trucks. The state where I lived: * Truck size was limited, large trucks were only allowed on one Highway. Goods were transferred to smaller Trucks for transport to factories. * Driving trucks on…

How is prohibiting truck transport on Sunday good for other road users? You'd be eliminating 14% of hours in the week, which means a corresponding higher density of trucks on non-Sunday days

Truck traffic is banned in several EU countries on Sundays and rural communities love it. Families in villages where the sole street is the tertiary road running through, don’t have to worry on Sundays about their children playing outside along that road.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#75

Fortunately, if you avoided listening to environmentalists, transit advocates, and people with children and bought a high ride-height vehicle like a Dodge Ram 1500, your vehicle will be tall enough to actually contact the truck or trailer without a decapitation! Pickups and SUVs are way safer, guys. Up to you what you do with the information.

If you listened to transit advocates, you'd be riding in a bus or a train, both of which are much higher and heavier than your vaunted SUVs.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#76
post #7

Europe has mandatory underride guards for this reason since 20+ years ago.

27 years ago in the US: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2004/11/05/04-2473... ...and then updated two years later. Still watered down to the point of near uselessness in order to placate the trucking industry lobbyists.

I believe Europe has required side underride guards since the 1990s.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#77
> "The Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association, a lobbying outfit representing semitrailer builders, had little desire to make safer rear guards. In correspondence with the department, the TTMA said it would be 'far more practical' to force Volkswagen and other companies making compact cars to produce larger vehicles that were less likely to slip beneath a truck."

Of course.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#78
post #8

>An investigator with the local police department blamed the collision on the truck driver, who was initially charged with negligent homicide, though charges were eventually dropped I wonder why. Another issue is the size of trucks. The state where I lived: * Truck size was limited, large trucks were only allowed on one Highway. Goods were transferred to smaller Trucks for transport to factories. * Driving trucks on…

"If you need 3 trailers, time to go back to freight trains." Trains can only run on train tracks. The tracks/train stations don't always go close to where the freight needs to go. It is bordering on impossible to build new rail infrastructure to get freight where it needs to go. It takes a lot longer to ship something on a train than on a truck. Add on the fact that transport in general is getting more expensive, and…

The answer is more, smaller, trucks / vans. If trucking creates jobs then a great way to create MORE jobs is to have smaller trucks. With smaller loads you lower the element of danger as well as lowering the barrier to entry. Additionally with smaller loads transfer's can be accomplished much more quickly with smaller equipment. Hot shot trucking is already pretty popular and typically works out to be cheaper. The idea overall idea would be an expansion of the interior ports network with loads small enough that drivers can self service.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#79
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is prohibiting truck transport on Sunday good for other road users? You'd be eliminating 14% of hours in the week, which means a corresponding higher density of trucks on non-Sunday days

Coming from countries where truck transport is not allowed on Sundays - it's great. Means that if you're going with your family somewhere on Sunday it's very quiet on the roads. Also awesome for long distance driving, always plan those for a Sunday and the traffic flows much smoother. As for the idea that it moves the traffic to other days - no it doesn't, because a lot of that traffic wouldn't be driving on Sunday a…

Isn't this just a somewhat arbitrary benefit for people who have Sundays free? Lots of people have to work Sundays. It seems like a lottery that some people will benefit from and some will suffer from, for no good reason.

Re: Trapped Under Trucks

#80
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone is working on it: https://www.fastcompany.com/90713785/former-spacex-engineers...

Yeah, I'm watching them, but I doubt they'll succeed. Railways are not interested in them succeeding.

"we've always done it this way"

I hate this mindset

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