Truckers criticize speed limiter announcement, citing safety, rolling roadblocks and road rage
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association criticized an announcement from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration about proceeding with a controversial speed limiter rulemaking
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association criticized an announcement from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration about proceeding with a controversial speed limiter rulemaking.
OOIDA says that policies and devices that limit speeds for large trucks create unnecessary congestion and dangerous speed differentials among vehicles, which lead to higher accident involvement rates. The FMCSA is preparing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to follow up on a 2016 joint proposal with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Studies and research have already proven what we were all taught long ago in driver’s ed classes, that traffic is safest when vehicles all travel at the same relative speed,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “Limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles which can lead to more crashes.”
Additionally, most crashes involving CMVs occur in areas with speed limits below 55 mph, mitigating the effect of any potential mandate.
“What the motoring public should know is that when they are stuck behind trucks on long stretches of highway, those trucks are often limited to a speed well under the posted speed limit,” said Spencer.
The Association has a video demonstrating the dangers of speed limited trucks.
The following research and summary documents explain in more detail:
Speed limiters will negatively impact safety
Differentials Speed Limits Make Roads Less Safe
Study Shows Speed Limit Differentials Compromise Highway Safety
Empirical Analysis of Truck and Automobile Speeds on Rural Interstates: Impact of Posted Speed Limits
Cost-Benefit Evaluation of Large Truck-Automobile Speed Limits Differentials
OOIDA comments to 2016 NHTSA proposal
Accidents on Main Rural Highways Related to Speed
Safety Impact of Differential Speed Limits
Effects of Truck Strategies on Traffic Flow and Safety on Multilane Highways
Impact of differential speed limits on speed of traffic and rate of accidents
Review of NHTSA and FMCSA speed limiter NPRM
Review of NHTSA aqnd FMCSA speed limiters PRIA
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 150,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the Greater Kansas City, Mo., area.
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