NEW DRIVE FOR TRUCK SAFETY
TRUCK SAFETY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT FEATURES IN THE FUTURE MAY APPEAR: (1) STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENT PANELS FOR LARGE TRUCKS, (2) SAFETY HARNESSES FOR DRIVERS, (3) BETTER WAYS TO SECURE CARGOES, AND (4) SAFER GAS TANKS. SAFETY RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE AUTOMOTIVE CRASH INJURY RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THE CORNELL AERONAUTICAL LABORATORY INDICATES THAT: (1) TRUCKS ARE INVOLVED LESS OFTEN THAN CARS IN SINGLE -VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, (2) PEAK ACCIDENT HOURS ARE THE SAME FOR PICKUP TRUCKS AS FOR CARS, BUT MOST TRACTOR-TRAILER ACCIDENTS COME IN THE EARLY MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON, (3) THE MOST FREQUENT KINDS OF ACCIDENTS ARE PICKUP TRUCKS COLLIDING WITH CARS, FOR OTHER SINGLE-UNIT TRUCKS, OVERTURNING, AND FOR TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCKS, COLLISION, (4) AS THE SIZE OF TRUCKS INCREASES, SPEED BECOMES A LESS PROMINENT CONTRIBUTOR TO ACCIDENTS, (5) THE LEADING SOURCES OF DRIVER INJURIES ARE BEING THROWN FROM THE TRUCK OR INTO THE STEERING ASSEMBLY, AND (6) FIRES OCCUR IN SIX TIMES AS MANY TRUCK ACCIDENTS AS CAR ACCIDENTS. ONE OF THE MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS WAS THAT TRUCK-DOORS BE REDESIGNED TO PREVENT THEM FROM OPENING DURING CRASHES. THE BUREAU OF MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY IS REVISING DRIVER QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, TO MAKE THEM MORE STRINGENT IN THEIR SELECTION AND CONTINUED CERTIFICATION CRITERIA.
-
Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 46, No 3, PP 13-15, 4 PHOT
- Publication Date: 1970-5
Media Info
- Serial:
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Commodities; Crash injury research; Doors; Drivers; Ejection; Fires; Freight transportation; Instrument panels; Locks (Waterways); Manual safety belts; Overturning; Peak hour traffic; Selection and appointment; Single vehicle crashes; Tractor trailer combinations; Traffic crashes; Truck drivers; Trucks
- Uncontrolled Terms: Driver selection
- Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Motor Carriers; Research; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220915
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jun 22 1970 12:00AM