Big-Rigs May Get Ever Larger
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Americans are frightened by big-rigs on our highways. at 80,000 pounds that is understandable. A poll taken by Lake Research Partners,finds that 66 percent of drivers oppose a proposal to allow bigger trucks carrying heavier loads on the highways. And that sentiment crossed all barriers, age, race and income.
That poll was released just as ademonstration projectbeing proposed by shippers and lobbyists for trucking companies, would allow trucks weighing as much as 100,000 pounds on the roads in six states.
Public Citizen is one organization that is fighting heavier and larger trucks on our highways. At a news conference Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizencalls it a "demolition derby."
That's because in 2006, big-rig crashed killed 5,000 people and injuryed another 106,000 more.
And while large trucks make up about 3 percent of registered vehicles, 9 percent were involved in fatal crashes.
Besides death and injury, our roads were not made to hold heavier trucks and an aging infrastructure does not need added weight to add to stress.
Introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the Safe Truck Operations and Preservation Act of 2008, tries to preserve the limit currently on the roads so that the larger trucks can be stopped from the pilot program in six states,Georgia, Maine, Michigan, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.
Congress will need to hear from you and soon to let them know just how you feel about even bigger-rigs riding alongside you.
Don’t believe the hype that bigger trucks will translate to fewer trucks. That has historically not been true.