Mixed ABS: Potential For Disaster
Jury says driver innocent in fatal accident because of road signs. Wreck likely caused by combination of excessive speed and partial ABS.
JIM WINSOR
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The driver of an 18-wheeler involved in a crash that killed a boy riding in his father's car has been found innocent of vehicular homicide because of inadequate road signs. The signs are pictured here and, clearly, the "Speed Limit 25" and "Reduced Gear Zone" signs are hardly a wake-up call to truck drivers on the steep grade with sharp curves ahead. The 25 mph sign measures only 24 x 30 inches. But that is all Pennsylvania requires on its two-lane roads — regardless of road conditions. It's obvious that this road needs flashing warning lights. I was there and took these pictures.
But there were other factors in this accident that should serve as a wake-up call to fleets and drivers.
The accident occurred in 1999 on PA Route 10, a two-lane winding blacktop road used by truckers headed for communities in Pennsylvania's Amish farming area in Lancaster County.
The jury trial took place earlier this year. The driver - who worked for a major national truckload carrier - was locked up for several months before being allowed to post bail.
The district attorney presented a compelling case against the driver. Witnesses said the driver had been doing at least 55 mph; that the late-model tractor had antilock brakes that were in working order. Another critical detail: The 1997 partially-loaded trailer was not equipped with antilock. (At the time of the accident, the NHTSA regs did not require trailer ABS.)
Evidence confirmed that the driver had not slowed down, nor geared down, after passing the reduced speed sign. He apparently came into the first of several sharp, steep curves before realizing he was in deep trouble.
The jury found the driver innocent in this case because of the improper signage. He was not fined. He was not sentenced to any jail time over that already served.
The results could have been quite different. If found guilty, he could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
I wrote my February 2000 column about this tragedy. It is a detailed account of the accident and the role the partially ABS-equipped rig played in it. Email me at jwinsor@truckinginfo.com if you'd like a copy.
There's a very strong message here that bears repeating: Tractor-trailers with ABS only on the tractor or only on the trailer can often give drivers a false sense of security.
In this fatality, the driver reportedly panicked when he saw the curve ahead, and he floored his brake treadle to slow down. On the wet road, ABS kicked in on his tractor. He retained steering control. The trailer brakes, without ABS, locked up and the trailer swung around violently, demolishing the passenger side of the car coming up the hill. The impact killed the young boy.
It may be many years before fleets retire or trade their pre-ABS trailers. Drivers in drop-and-hook operations must never assume that both their tractor and trailer have ABS. And drivers should always check and be sure they know what they're hooking up to. A mixed ABS rig is an accident waiting to happen whenever severe braking is required.
