USA TODAY

Posted 2/10/2004 12:05 AM Updated 2/10/2004 12:46 AM


More big trucks mixing with cars worries officials

By Fred Bayles, USA TODAY

Faced with a growing number of tractor-trailer trucks on already crowded
roads, state and local highway officials are looking at ways for trucks and
cars to better coexist.

Some state are considering truck-only lanes along major interstates. Others
are exploring ways to limit truck travel to non-rush hours.

According to a study by The Road Information Project (TRIP), a coalition of
transportation groups, the new strategies grow out of concerns about
increased danger of crashes between trucks and more-vulnerable cars.

Although truck-related fatalities have dropped nearly 11% since 1990, an
average of 4,500 motorists and their passengers die each year in truck-car
accidents. "It's a systemwide problem," says Leo Penne, a freight expert
with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
"When you have trucks and autos operating on increasingly crowded highways,
you're going to see more accidents."

Among the possible solutions being studied:

. Eight states on the Interstate 10 corridor from Florida to Texas are
considering adding segregated truck lanes.

. Virginia is looking at a proposal to build truck-only lanes along its
325-mile portion of Interstate 81. The highway was designed for 15% truck
traffic; trucks now account for up to 40% of traffic.

. Some Florida cities want to restrict trucks' rush-hour operations.
Although trucking officials are tepid about the plan, it may get support if
it shows trucks can move more quickly after midnight.

.States and counties are building passing lanes, straightening curves and
installing better intersection signals and lighting ontwo-lane rural roads,
the scene of a majority of truck-car accidents.

"The point is there isn't enough highway capacity. You have to think about
operating it more efficiently," Penne says.

Over the past two decades, the number of long-haul trucks has doubled to 2.6
million. By 2020, the number of trucks and miles traveled by those trucks is
expected to double again. In 1998, the Federal Highway Administration
estimated about a quarter of interstates in urban areas saw 10,000 or more
trucks a day.

By 2020 the highway agency expects that volume to spread to 69% of urban
highways.

The increase is a result of a shift in the economy. Retailers from Amazon
com to Wal-Mart have grown dependent on next-day delivery of goods.
Manufacturers use the same strategy to avoid storing materials in warehouses


"Just about every company is using the highway system as a rolling warehouse
It puts a lot of pressure on surface transportation," says Harry Caldwell,
former chief of freight policy at the highway agency.

Truck traffic has moved to smaller roads in the suburbs and beyond as
trucking companies and their customers flee urban congestion. This has
increased the mix of cars and trucks on the road, raising the risk of
accidents, especially on smaller roads where motorists have less margin of
error.

Federal data blame car drivers for 90% of fatalities in head-on crashes
between trucks and cars. A study by AAA blamed a majority of interstate
truck-car accidents on car drivers.

"Motorists make the mistake of behaving the same way around trucks as they
do around cars," says Mantill Williams, a spokesman for AAA. "Trucks can't
stop on a dime or change lanes quickly."