Road Construction is Dangerous

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Martin Solomon

When highways are constructed or repaired there are hazards that, if motorists are unaware of, can be fatal. One such hazard is the roadway drop off.

A roadway drop off is where a newly paved portion of the road adjacent to the dirt portion of the road drops off without warning. This drop off, if deep enough, can cause the driver to lose control of his vehicle and not regain control before striking another vehicle or concrete road embankment.

Drop offs are more likely to occur on undivided rural highways with higher speed limits (between 45 and 70 mph) where drivers encounter twists and turns, driveways and oncoming traffic.

Good highway design and construction requires that the drop off on a highway where the speed limit is 55 mph should be no greater than one inch.

In addition, designers should provide space at the shoulders of highways to enable drivers to take evasive maneuvers to avoid potential crashes.

According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, “well-designed and properly maintained shoulders are needed on rural highways with appreciable volume of traffic.”

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How Safe are the Buses on America's Highways?

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Martin Solomon

When we board a bus we assume that a large vehicle provides an extra degree of safety; however, our assumption is wrong.

Buses are dangerous because bus companies are not required to have buses equipped with modern safety equipment and existing safety regulations are not uniformly enforced by the government.

For example, seat belts aren’t required in buses, there are no requirements for roof crush support structures, nor are there requirements that buses have ejection resistant windows.

Bus safety is low on the government’s priority list and the bus industry is pleased.

Even the simplest regulatory measure to ensure that bus drivers are qualified to operate a bus safely is neglected by regulators.

There are many bus accident where bus passengers are thrown about and injured because there are no seat belts. When a bus overturns and lands on its top there is little to prevent the roof from crushing down and seriously injuring and killing passengers. Also in a bus rollover it is common for passengers to be ejected from bus windows and injured or killed on the highway.

There are many long standing safety features that would improve bus safety and save lives, but they haven’t been required by the government.

Perhaps under the Obama administration we will now see a new emphasis on bus safety; until then, drive your car or take a plane.

To learn more about bus safety, go to The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

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