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> the N.T.S.B. recently reported that they were involved in one in eight of all fatal accidents and about one-quarter of all fatal accidents in work zones Invo

by jsz0 11y ago

> the N.T.S.B. recently reported that they were involved in one in eight of all fatal accidents and about one-quarter of all fatal accidents in work zones Involved or at fault? It seems like these stats are including accidents where trucks did not even contribute to the fatalities but were simply part of the collateral damage.

douche 11y ago
There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Moose are involved in around 80% of fatal vehicle-animal collisions in the state of Maine over a five year period[1]. Clearly, moose are a menace, and we need to dramatically invest in moose-diverting safety features on our roads! Except... moose-vehicle collisions were only 15% of all animal-vehicle collisions. Even a cursory look at the physics of what happens in a moose-car collision explains why moose collisions are disproportionately fatal. Look at a moose, standing next to a typical compact-to-midsize car[2]. Now look at what happens when that compact-midsize car hits a moose[3]. The animal's legs get swept out by the hood/bumper of the vehicle, and the animal's heavy body crashes down through the windshield and the relatively flimsy roof of the vehicle, crushing the driver. A similar thing happens with semi trucks. In many cases, the front bumper of a truck, and the rear bumper on the trailer, are higher off the ground than the hood or trunk of a car. So if a truck is involved in a rear-end collision with a car in front, as often as not the truck goes right over the top of the car, crushing the occupants of the car underneath.. Or if the car is rear-ending the truck, the hood and engine mass goes underneath the trailer, but the windshield and roof is sheared off by the steel bumper and trailer deck, along with the upper portions of the car's occupants. I'm not sure you're going to make those physics much safer. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5547a3.htm http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5547a3.htm [2] http://boredomtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/animal-size-comparison-8.jpg http://boredomtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/animal-... [3] http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/last-elknor.jpg http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/las...

by jsz0 11y ago

douche 11y ago

There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Moose are involved in around 80% of fatal vehicle-animal collisions in the state of Maine over a five year period[1]. Clearly, moose are a menace, and we need to dramatically invest in moose-diverting safety features on our roads! Except... moose-vehicle collisions were only 15% of all animal-vehicle collisions. Even a cursory look at the physics of what happens in a moose-car collision explains why moose collisions are disproportionately fatal. Look at a moose, standing next to a typical compact-to-midsize car[2]. Now look at what happens when that compact-midsize car hits a moose[3]. The animal's legs get swept out by the hood/bumper of the vehicle, and the animal's heavy body crashes down through the windshield and the relatively flimsy roof of the vehicle, crushing the driver. A similar thing happens with semi trucks. In many cases, the front bumper of a truck, and the rear bumper on the trailer, are higher off the ground than the hood or trunk of a car. So if a truck is involved in a rear-end collision with a car in front, as often as not the truck goes right over the top of the car, crushing the occupants of the car underneath.. Or if the car is rear-ending the truck, the hood and engine mass goes underneath the trailer, but the windshield and roof is sheared off by the steel bumper and trailer deck, along with the upper portions of the car's occupants. I'm not sure you're going to make those physics much safer. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5547a3.htm http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5547a3.htm [2] http://boredomtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/animal-size-comparison-8.jpg http://boredomtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/animal-... [3] http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/last-elknor.jpg http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/las...