I have been taking a little flack lately about the first and only article I have so far posted in the News Briefs page. Admittedly I may have made some statements there that were slightly stronger than was necessary so I would like to explain myself.
About five years ago I was traveling west bound on I-80 in Nevada and come upon an accident scene. As a matter of fact I was the first person on the accident scene. A small pickup had rear ended a big truck. There were two people in the pickup and though I tried, I could not tell whether these people had been men or women, or even if they had been adult. You see? These people had no heads. This is gross I know, but it is necessary to stress the point. I later found out that they had been men. I also found out that the difference in speeds between their pickup and the big truck was only 15 miles per hour. I have had nightmares about what I saw that night. I have even dreamed that the passengers in that pickup had been my wife and children and that I had been the one driving the big truck.
At the scene while we were waiting for the police to come I spent the time talking to the truck driverand trying to keep him from going into complete shock.. He kept telling me over and over that he had never felt the impact. He saw the accident happen but if he had not been watching he would have never known..
Not 3 years ago, a line driver from one of my previous employers was traveling south bound on I-15 through Utah. A man in a four wheeler fell asleep at the wheel and rear ended that semi with a speed difference of only 8 miles an hour.. The front seat passenger in the 4 wheeler was the car driver's mother and she died. Even at an 8 m.p.h. difference, your head was not designed to withstand the force of striking a large steel object. You see , my point is, even at minimal differences in speed, the damage can be devastating. That car is not heavy enough to push the big truck any faster forward. The speed and momentum of the car keeps it going fast enough that the rear of the trailer ends up in the passenger compartment of the car, just about where your head used to be... DUAL SPEED LIMITS ARE ASSININE AT BEST!!!!!
Even at a 5mph difference, the car is not going to stop the second it hits the truck. I want you to get up from where you are sitting, walk over to the wall and with an estimated speed of 5 mph., bang your head against the wall. Not too bad you say? Well that is because your head stops immediately on impact. Now imagine you have the weight and momentum of your 3 thousand pound car pushing your head against that same wall at 5 mph... Your head is not going to stop at the point of impact. Even if your head is as thick as mine is, I guarantee that unless you have very flimsy walls, you now have a serious headache.. Now imagine that you are driving the car and you have just struck a semi. Let's say you have superb mental faculties and do not panic. Instead you keep a clear head and firmly apply the brakes.. Let's also say that your wife or child is sitting in the passenger seat.. Do you dare risk it for the experiment? Or even worse, for profit?
Now do you understand why it bothers me when someone wants to make it a law to risk your wife and kids as well as mine for the sake of profit.. If this doesn't make you angry then I don't know what else I can say.. Perhaps a 75 mph speed limit is too fast. I don't personally think so but I have been wrong before. I do know that no matter what the speed limit is, dual speed limits are dangerous. If 75 is too fast for trucks then it is too fast for cars... If you limit cars to 55 and limit trucks to 45, you are still just as dangerous.... To me it is simple. I don't claim to be an expert at anything but I have seen the results first hand...
So what is the solution? I have an idea but it will take a lot of thought and a whole new way of thinking to bring it about.. First of all I think allowing a minimum speed of 45 m.p.h. in a 75 m.p.h. zone is asking for as much trouble as dual speed limits.. Let's face it, there are some vehicles out there that should not be allowed on the big road.. Now don't get me wrong ,I'm not saying to kick those slow ones off but there has got to be a solution that is safe and equitable for everyone..
Here is my solution. Agree or not as you see fit but I would be interested in your comments.. What if on three lane sections of road, there were three allowable speed limits? The left lane 75 m.p.h. in rural areas and 65 in urban areas. The middle lane in rural and urban areas would be 65. The right lane in rural and urban areas would be 55 with a minimum allowable speed of 45 in the right lane only. There would be no lane restrictions as far as vehicle size or weight. The only restrictions would be that if a vehicle could not or would not maintain the speed limit in any lane, or if it exceeds the speed limit for any lane, then that vehicle would be ticketed. If you want to drive 75 then use the left lane.. Sounds simple to me and I guarantee it would be far safer and definately more fair to all concerned, truckers included..
When you merge into traffic, it is much easier and safer to merge into slower moving traffic. Most merge lanes are on the right hand side, but flexibility and common sense would have to dictate posted speeds in areas where the merge is into the left lane.. Once you have made the merge and begin picking up speed, then you merge into the middle lane and continue accelerating. Finally you have built up your speed and you can now make a safe merge into the left lane at 75... When you begin getting close to your exit then you would reverse the process, continuously slowing down to make a safe exit..
But Hey! What do I know? I'm just a dumb truck driver. Right!?
Maybe
those pencil pushers and greedy business men know more than I do and the
answer really is to limit trucks. After all, what are lives worth if there
is no profit to be made by them? And if you start thinning out all of them
motorists, the shortage of truck drivers will quickly dwindle too because
there won't be as many consumers buying what those trucks are hauling.