101 Freeway truck accident
Posted by
IB ContributorMarch 31, 2007 10:42 PMIt was 4:30AM and a big rig was nearing the Coldwater Canyon Exit when a vehicle hit the big rig, causing it to crash into the center divider on Freeway 101, which resulted in lanes being closed in both directions. The truck driver was taken to the hospital, and the driver of the vehicle was cited for suspicion of driving under the influence said, Leland Tang, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol in West Hills.
It is not unusual for truck drivers to drive their long hauls at night, hoping to avoid traffic. Unfortunately, the person driving their vehicle at 4:30 in the morning, and sharing the road with the big rig, was drunk.
And, while trucks are often cited as causing accidents for a variety of reasons, truck drivers also have complaints about the vehicles with which they share our roadways and highways. Drivers who become annoyed at being behind a truck often pass the truck with insufficient room to pass, causing truck drivers to hit their brakes to avoid a rear-end collision with the car, according to The American Trucking Association. Drivers who pass without sufficient room can cause trucks to be in an untenable position. According to Phillip Gould, a certified truck driver, who has no chargeable accidents against his 2 million driving miles, "If you can't see the driver's face in the mirror, he can't see you," he said. "Seventy-five percent of fatal accidents involving large trucks are initiated by passenger drivers. Thirty-five percent of those are in blind spots."
Highway/Freeway 101 is known as one of California's most dangerous roads any time of the day. Formed in 1926, this approximately 1540 mile stretch, which begins in Los Angeles, and ends at the Oregon border, consists of a combination of road, highway, and breathtaking scenery that can at times be deceptive and very dangerous. Known as the Pacific Coast Highway in California, and affectionately known as PCH by many locals, this route has claimed many lives over the years.
Regardless of what highway you drive, and regardless of what time of day you decide to drive-you owe it to the rest of us to DRIVE RESTED and DRIVE SOBER!