HEAVY TRUCK INVOLVEMENT IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND RELATED COUNTERMEASURES

The objectives of this research study were to conduct a detailed analysis of truck accidents and recommend countermeasures to reduce the number and severity of this type of accident. Police reports for fatal accidents in which a truck was involved were reviewed for the period 1994 through 1997. Each accident report was reviewed and classified into types of accidents and causative factor categories. The most common accident involved another vehicle crossing the centerline into the path of a truck. The primary causative factor was related to the actions of the other driver, rather than the truck driver, in nearly two-thirds of the accidents. Countermeasures were recommended to reduce specific types of accidents. Locations were identified with the highest number of specific types of accidents and case studies were conducted to offer recommended solutions. Data from a weigh-in-motion site on US 23 in Lawrence County were analyzed and summarized to show the pattern of loads being carried by coal trucks in eastern Kentucky. Results were used to offer data which could support revisions to the current weight limits for the Extended-Weight Coal Haul Road System for combination trucks and to develop an enforcement mechanism which could improve compliance. Data summarized by the Transportation Cabinet's Division of Vehicle Enforcement were also collected and summarized to show the results of commercial vehicle inspections and the adjudication process for citations issued. Recommendations were made to reduce the number and severity of truck accidents. They included countermeasures relating to the vehicle, roadway, and driver.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.13023/KTC.RR.1999.20
• Record URL:
  https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/15000/15900/15910/PB2000101692.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Kentucky, Lexington

  Kentucky Transportation Center
  College of Engineering, 176 Raymond Building
  Lexington, KY  United States  40506-0281

  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

  200 Mero Street
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40622

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Pigman, J G
  • Agent, K R
• Publication Date: 1999-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 28 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adjudication; Case studies; Coal; Compliance; Countermeasures; Crash causes; Crash reports; Crash severity; Fatalities; Haul roads; High risk locations; Inspection; Law enforcement; Laws; Loads; Recommendations; Size and weight regulations; Truck crashes; Weight
• Geographic Terms: Kentucky
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00798946
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: University of Kentucky, Lexington
• Report/Paper Numbers: KTC-99-20,, Final Report
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 18 2001 12:00AM