Consider This

ATA seeks to put the brakes on speeding

The American Trucking Associations has proposed that all new trucks be equipped with speed governors to prevent them from traveling faster than 68 mph. In a press release, the ATA said that its endorsement is “aimed at reducing the number and severity of speed-related crashes among all vehicles on U.S. highways.”

According to an ATA study, 75 percent of trucks already evaluated are fitted with speed governors, most of which are set to 70 mph or lower.

“There has been a growing sense within the trucking industry for the need to slow down the large truck population, as well as all traffic,” says ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “With speeding as a factor in one-third of all fatal highway crashes, it makes all the sense in the world to work to reduce this number.”

Not everyone in the industry agrees, however. The Owner-Operator Independent Driver’s Association (OOIDA) says speed governors would actually make roadways more dangerous for drivers of all vehicles.

“It may sound like a good thing to slow down all the big trucks,” says Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president. “But unless you slow down all the other vehicles too, you’ve only made things more dangerous.”

Studies have shown that drivers of light vehicles are the primary speeders, not professional drivers. Although OOIDA agrees that speeding is a legitimate problem on U.S. highways, the organization maintains that roadways are safest when all vehicles travel at the same speed and comply with all laws and regulations.

Speaking of safety, several studies have already determined that cell phone use while driving increases the risk of accidents. Now a study finds that hands-free cell phone use and just about any other activity other than driving also increase the risk of accidents. The reason: the human brain struggles to look and listen at the same time; when it tries to do both, reaction time slows.

The new study found that participants trying to brake while doing a simple task—such as using a hands-free phone, pushing a button or even talking—were on average 174 milliseconds slower at braking. For a car traveling at 65 mph, that 174-millisecond delay translates to 16 feet.

The study joins a growing body of research that “freeing up the hands” does not result in faster brake response times. A previous study found that a 20-year-old driver talking on a cell phone had the same reaction time as a 70-year-old driver not using a phone. Cell phone distraction causes an estimated 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries each year.

Sources: ATA, OOIDA, Roemer Report (used with permission)