Only Wayne County witnesses more truck crashes along I-94 than Berrien County, and following a record high level of truck crashes last year, the Michigan Center for Truck Safety is launching a major safety campaign headed into the deadliest season of the year.
After a record-high 15,800 crashes involving heavy-duty trucks last year in Michigan, the new statewide education campaign will launch this Labor Day weekend urging all drivers and to use extra caution on roadways, especially truck operators.
The safety program was created by the Michigan Center for Truck Safety (MCTS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving highway safety through commercial truck driver education and training.
The campaign was prompted by a 32-percent increase in crashes involving trucks and buses in the past five years. In 2015, there were nearly 12,000 truck or bus crashes on Michigan roads, compared with 15,800 reported last year alone.
Michelle Zemla, MCTS Project Director, says, “Truck drivers and motorists need reminders to allow more space between vehicles, avoid truck blind spots and double-check that it’s clear before changing lanes.” She adds, “Whether you’re behind the wheel of a semi or a compact car, it should always be safety first.”
Using billboards, social media, radio and digital video advertising, the campaign will focus on two main areas of concern:
- Stopping distances – Because of its size and weight, a semi requires at least two football fields to stop when traveling at 65-mph. Federal safety guidelines suggest leaving at least three seconds between a truck and another vehicle to allow a safer stop.
- Blind spots/changing lanes – Approximately 1-in-3 crashes involves a truck or another vehicle changing lanes at the wrong time. Because semis have four large blind spots – in front, in back and on each side – truck drivers are encouraged to check twice before changing lanes. In addition, drivers should avoid traveling in a truck’s blind spots.
About one-quarter of all truck or bus crashes occur on freeways – most often in Wayne, Oakland, Berrien and Kent counties, according to the most recent Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center data.
Over the last decade, 9.5-percent of all crashes in Michigan involving a semi or bus occurred on Interstate 94. Of those crashes, one-third took place in Wayne County, followed by 15-percent in Berrien County.
In addition, 6-percent of truck-involved crashes took place on Interstate 75 (40-percent in Wayne County and 26-percent in Oakland County), 5-percent on Interstate 96 (30-percent in Wayne County and 16-percent in Oakland County) and 2.5-percent on U.S. Route 131 (47-percent in Kent County).
Zemla tells us that less than 3-percent of crashes result in death or serious injury, and they most often occur in September and October.
Charles Culton, MCTS Safety Specialist, says, “Michigan is heading into its high season for crashes, so it’s more important than ever to pay extra attention.”
The awareness program is funded by the state of Michigan’s Truck Safety Fund.
More information about the campaign is available online at this link: http://TruckingSafety.org
