NTSB Calls for Technologies to Prevent Tanker Truck Rollovers
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=74280
Stability control systems to prevent rollover accidents involving tractor-trailers have been around for a while now, but the federal administration does not mandate these in all trucks. The National Transportation Safety Board wants that to change.
The Board made these recommendations in its investigative report into a serious tanker truck rollover accident in Indianapolis in 2009. In that accident, the tanker truck loaded with more than 9000 gallons of LPG flipped over on an Indiana highway, and exploded in flames. There were no fatalities in the accident, but at least five people, including the tanker truck driver, were seriously injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board cited several factors leading to the crash. According to the Board, the driver's excessive and faulty steering maneuvers caused the tank to detach from the tractor. The report also blames faulty road design for the accident. Most of the blame was placed on the fact that the tanker truck was at an increased risk of a rollover because of its high center of gravity, and was not equipped with the kind of technology that would prevent a rollover.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that as many as 106 lives could be saved every year in tanker rollover accidents. There are more than 3600 such rollover accidents every year, and stability control systems on trucks can help prevent these events.
As an Atlanta truck accident attorney, I believe that stability control is especially necessary in tanker trucks, which carry liquid cargo. These liquids can move inside the tank, causing a shift in weight. Tanker trucks account for only 6% of the total truck traffic, but comprise 30% of all fatal commercial truck rollover accidents.
