The most dangerous drowsy drivers on U.S. roads
Drivers beware: Dangerous accidents with large trucks are increasing. An 18-wheeler can weigh “up to 80,000 pounds” while the average car weighs “4,000 pounds.” In these collisions, people in cars die more often or suffer “catastrophic injuries” than truck drivers. Fatalities in large truck crashes “reached their highest level in 29 years in 2017,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2019. The biggest increase in truck driver fatalities occurred in trucks weighing 10,000 to 14,000 pounds, including dual rear-wheel pickup trucks. The statistics were the latest available to the federal transportation agency about the national death rate in these crashes. Safety advocates have responded to the increase in deaths with a call for laws making trucking safer.
“This carnage would not be tolerated in any other industry.” That’s what Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said during a press conference in July 2019 in Washington, D.C. The group was urging Congress to pass laws making the trucking industry safer. Truckers are also concerned. Chris Spear, the president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, told a congressional committee in 2019, the trucking industry recognizes “crashes are increasing.”
At the June 12, 2019 hearing, Spear asked a U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure sub committee to study truck crashes to get “real time” data, so law enforcement and transportation safety officials can respond more quickly to “hot spots,” and “allocate limited resources” to “areas with the greatest need.” He also said the trucking industry needs accurate data to direct its own efforts toward “halting the increase” in fatalities.
Drowsy driving among truckers is a major concern
Trucking is a notoriously high stress industry. The pressure of long hours on the road and tight delivery schedules make truckers susceptible to drowsy driving. Federal hours of service rules limit driving without rest, but many truckers ignore these rules, according to a trucking industry website. A congressional study of long haul truck drivers found many drivers averaged less than 5 hours of sleep a day. “Losing three hours of sleep” is like “having three beers” before a driver gets behind the wheel, according to The National Safety Council.
As online shopping continues to increase, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), expects freight volumes will grow to 29 billion tons by 2040 – a 45 percent increase. The shipping industry is urging Congress to allow shipping trucks to get bigger. Their bill would make shipping trucks 84 feet long with double trailers, when current double trailer trucks have an 11 percent higher fatal crash rate than single trucks, according to the legislation’s opponents.
Wayne Wright knows how and why these accidents happen
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