Truckers say regulations for highway speed limitations will increase risk of accidents

Truckers say reducing their highway speeds will not increase safety, but instead will lead to an increased risk of collisions, Tom Krisher reports for The Associated Press. "The government has proposed requiring electronic speed limiters on all trucks and buses over 26,000 pounds manufactured after the regulation goes into effect. Speeds could be limited to 60, 65 or 68 mph when the rule is finalized after a comment period that ends Nov. 7." Critics say truckers, who get paid by the mile, oppose lower speed limits, because it would mean they wouldn't be able to drive as far each day.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that from 2004-2013 an average of 1,044 people died per year in crashes involving heavy trucks on roads with speed limits of at least 55 mph, Krisher writes. "The agency also found that if truck speeds were limited to 60 mph, 162 to 498 lives per year would be saved because the impact of a crash would be less severe. At 65 mph, up to 214 lives would be saved, and as many as 96 would be saved with a 68-mph limit." (NHTSA graphic: Percentage of fatal crashes involving large trucks in 2014)

Truckers argue that slowing their speeds, while allowing cars to continue to drive 70 or faster, increases the chances of trucks being hit from behind by cars, Krisher writes. Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the largest group of independent truckers, said that most accidents involving trucks and cars going the same direction on highways is the result of cars rear-ending trucks. (Read more)