Deaths keep rising in Pennsylvania truck crashes

[FakeNoose]

New figures put new pressure on feds to pass long-sought safety rules



Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2024/04/13/truck-fatalities-highways-crashes/stories/202404110117

WASHINGTON — More people died on Pennsylvania highways in crashes involving large trucks in 2022 than in 42 other states, according to new federal statistics. The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures show truck-related deaths in Pennsylvania rose 14.2%, from 162 in 2021 to 185 in 2022, providing new urgency as the federal transportation officials finally moved ahead with long-delayed safety rules.

Nationally, deaths in crashes involving large trucks rose by 1.9%, from 5,821 in 2021 to 5,936 in 2022, even as overall traffic fatalities dropped by 1.7% from 43,230 to 42,514. The increase in fatalities comes in the midst of efforts by NHTSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to draft long-sought rules requiring new trucks to have automatic emergency braking and to have devices that limit how fast they can go.

Both regulations initially were recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board in 1995. That was almost 30 years ago. Meanwhile, other countries have adopted the technologies.

“We see a very familiar pattern — a heavy truck coming upon stopped traffic and the truck not being able to stop in time,” said Peter Kurdock, general counsel for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “The thing that’s so frustrating is that it's no mystery why these crashes occur and the solutions are not a mystery either.”

- more at link -

It's well-known in Pennsylvania that we have hills, curves, tunnels, bridges, and crumbling pavement in some areas. Add to that the weather factors of ice, snow, heavy rain, fog, wind - plus the fact that many trucks prefer driving at night to avoid traffic - well, truck accidents happen too frequently here.

State and local driving speeds for large trucks is always an issue, and a major sticking point for the drivers. Automatic emergency braking will require more time for upgrading of older trucks, or perhaps grandfathering older models that can't be upgraded. It must become a priority on the interstates first, then gradually carried over into the state road system. It's a matter of public safety.