Please . . help me to understand this . .

http://www.purcellregister.com/artic...asp?idnum=4389

http://www.kbmt12.com/news/local/22862514.html

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/ne..._23_38_01.html

http://www.mcdowellnews.com/servlet/...=1173355819941

I know. It isn't likely the fools most inclined to offend aren't reading this. Well, matcat, maybe . . So, what's your distraction?

Is it the phone?

Is it the scenery?

Is it the hours or miles?

Is it the money?

Is it the color of the signs?

Is it because you slow down, then get passed by a bunch of trucks and figure they must know something you don't?

This happens ALL THE TIME and I don't get it.

 

A buddy of mine was stopped for an accident south of Phoenix on I-10 when another truck came flying up from behind. There was 3 four wheelers between the 2. My buddy said he couldn't figure out why his trailer (flatbed) was on fire. Seems the pickup right behind him was pushed up and onto his load befor catching fire. And yes....it was very clear that traffic was stopped.

Big Timba....if you ever get an answer for why this crap happens.....let me know.

 

Hey now...

 

It appears Lawson died because he did not wear his seat belt. He got thrown out of his own truck and then run over by his own truck.

I don't think speed is the biggest issue. I think following too closely is the problem. If he gave himself an extra 50 feet then he might not have hit the other trucks. Would he have survived if he was driving 45-50 instead of 55-60? Or would he have survived if he was following 80 feet back instead of 30?

Companies pay drivers per mile driven. It is a big incentive to want to drive an extra 10 miles an hour. The change adds up at the end of the year and means thousands of dollars. Will anyone say that is a contributing factor to the accident?

 

At the end of the article it says all three drivers had been wearing their seat belts.

 

Then how was Lawson ejected from his semi if he was wearing a seatbelt?

 

Force of impact. Seat belts are not a cure-all. One of the other stories is about a child that was killed in a wreck while in a child seat.

Mistakes happen. Life is short. Shorter for some than others. Best thing to do is take stock and move on.

 

That seat belt isn't that strong, and I can think of quite a few possibilities for it to not hold, seat itself getting disconnected, it getting cut, it just plain breaking from force, and I am sure there are a million and one other ways for a seat belt to fail.

 

I know why all these accidents were caused. It's plain and simple. 95% of all drivers I've seen lately could care less what the speed limit signs say in construction zones. There are many of them here on I-5 with new bridges being built up and down the state. I'm constantly passed by cars and trucks going thru construction zones and they only slow down when a officer is parked in view while monitoring speeders. Then there's the follow the leader effect of tailgating. It's not just cars either. I see trucks tailgating other trucks going 65 in a 55 and no idea what's in front of the truck in front of them. Will I become part of the problem or side on caution? I like to see what's in front of me, it seems to give me a comfortable feeling in case something happens.

 

Offering this as an aside about seat belts -

KBR drivers in Iraq are required to wear their PPE and seat belts before leaving base. Anyone who refuses is put on the next plane home, end of discussion.

Jody Deatherage, who I may claim as an acquaintance if not a friend, was driving in a convoy on the outskirts of Baghdad on January 21, 2004. His truck crossed the centerline resulting in a head-on with an Iraqi dump truck coming the other way. Keep in mind that these are cab-overs.

Jody had a passenger that day, a man going home on R&R. I met him the next day. He was completely unscathed, physically. Relating the tale, he told me that Jody was ejected from his seat while the seat belt remained intact. Jody's crushed and mutilated body was on the road, while this passenger opened his door and walked away.

Such is the fickle finger of physics. Seat belts have saved countless lives, and I wear mine obsessively. But they are not a cure for inattention, violent intent, or pure dumb luck.