THE FIRE NEXT TIME

While national statistics show that few fatalities have resulted from the transport of hazardous materials considering the millions of miles trucks travel hauling them, many Washington, D.C. area AAA spokesmen, police and fire officials, and truckers interviewed for this article believe that the regular bumper-to-bumper traffic on Washington's 62-mile Capital Beltway, the road's poor condition, and the relative lack of enforcement of posted speed limits against truckers make the Beltway more dangerous than it needs to be. The article cites steps locally and nationally to reduce the risks and describes an accident in October 1983 where a propylene tanker truck overturned and a major disaster was averted because the tank happened not to rupture.

• Corporate Authors:

  Washington Post Company

  1150 15th Street NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20003
• Authors:
  • Meyer, L
• Publication Date: 1984-3-4

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 9
• Serial:
  • Washington Post Magazine
  • Publisher: Washington Post Company

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beltways; Container tanks; Deterioration; Hazardous materials; Hazards; Risk assessment; Speed limits; Traffic crashes; Traffic density; Traffic law enforcement; Traffic safety; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382988
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 30 1984 12:00AM