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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

CALIFORNIA OFFICIAL SEES TWIN AS SAFER THAN OTHER VEHICLES

IT IS CLAIMED THAT TWIN TRAILERS ARE SAFER AND MORE MANEUVERABLE THAN TRACTOR-SEMITRAILERS AND IN A MAJORITY OF INSTANCES SAFER THAN THE TOTAL VEHICLE POPULATION. ACCIDENTS INVOLVING TWIN TRAILERS OCCUR AT A STATISTICALLY SMALLER RATE THAN THEIR PROPORTION TO THE TOTAL VEHICLE POPULATION. THE TWIN TRAILERS ARE SAFER THAN ANY OTHER VEHICLE TYPE EXCEPT COMMERCIAL BUSES. THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES AND INJURIES FROM ACCIDENTS INVOLVING TWIN TRAILERS ARE NO MORE SEVERE THAN THOSE INVOLVING OTHER VEHICLES. THEY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN FEWER ADVERSE SITUATIONS RESULTING FROM A MANEUVERABILITY PROBLEM. THE AVERAGE STOPPING DISTANCE FOR THE VEHICLES FALLS WITHIN STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND THE 65 FT VEHICLES DO NOT CREATE AN UNUSUAL PASSING PROBLEM. STATISTICS FOR ACCIDENTS INVOLVING TWIN TRAILERS IN CALIFORNIA ARE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED. FURTHER OBSERVATIONS MADE BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL STUDY INCLUDED OBSERVATIONS ON THE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TWIN TRAILERS. LESS "OFF TRACKING" WAS OBSERVED IN THE MANEUVERING OF 65-FOOT TWIN TRAILERS THAN IN MANEUVERING 60-FOOT, 5 AXLE TRACTOR SEMITRAILERS. STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN THAT TWIN TRAILERS LOADED WITH 75,600 POUNDS AND TRAVELING AT 20 MPH HAD A STOPPING DISTANCE OF 27 FEET (CALIFORNIA REQUIRES 50 FEET FOR EMERGENCY STOPS AND FEDERAL STANDARDS REQUIRE 33 FEET) INVESTIGATIONS HAVE ALSO LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT TWIN TRAILER PASSING TIME IS OF LITTLE SIGNIFICANCE.

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  • Accession Number: 00224280
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 17 1973 12:00AM