Truck drivers can play an important role in making sure that the trailers which they haul are as visible as possible to other drivers on the road — especially at nighttime. On October 15, 2018, Leslie and Sophie Rosenberg lost their lives when they collided with the side of a tanker late at night.
Family members are appealing to the trucking industry — including truck owners and drivers — to install additional lights for improved visibility and to make sure that the required lighting and retroreflective tape are kept clean and properly maintained. It could mean the difference between life and death.
“A tanker truck pulled onto the unlit highway from a side road, crossing three lanes of traffic. My sister – driving in the rightmost lane – in a mini van plowed into the underside of the tanker … There were no skid marks. The reason for there being no skid marks is simple: my sister never saw the tanker. She never saw the tanker because it was painted dark blue and had no lights on the sides that were clean and clearly visible. . .” Forman writes.
Forman goes on to argue that if the tanker had been painted silver and had “lights illuminating the entire outline of the tanker” the crash could have been avoided. Family petitions for more lights, no ‘dark colors’ on big rigs following fatal crash
Read more about their story and petition here:
- Family petitions for more lights, no ‘dark colors’ on big rigs following fatal crash https://cdllife.com/2020/family-petitions-for-more-lights-no-dark-colors-on-big-rigs-following-fatal-crash/
- Petition asks NHTSA to require more lighting on tractor-trailers https://landline.media/petition-asks-nhtsa-to-require-more-lighting-on-tractor-trailers/
- Westlake family advocates for new truck law after fatal crash https://www.statesman.com/news/20201013/westlake-family-advocates-for-new-truck-law-after-fatal-crash
- Fellow Aggies remember Jewish ‘bright light’ killed in car crash https://jhvonline.com/fellow-aggies-remember-jewish-bright-light-killed-in-car-crash-p25139-124.htm
- Leslie Susan Rosenberg https://www.austinnaturalfunerals.com/obituaries/Leslie-Rosenberg/
The family’s petition goes into detail about why it is so important to make large trucks as visible as possible especially at nighttime:
In 2018, 96% of vehicle occupants killed in two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck were occupants of the passenger vehicles. (IIHS, 2019) (Source: https://driving-tests.org/driving-statistics/
In 2018, 37% of all fatal crashes, involving large trucks occurred at night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am). (FMCSA, 2016) (Source: https://driving-tests.org/driving-statistics/
“The main factor related to the driver’s ability to see a crossing truck is target conspicuity, or how well an object stands out from its background. Target conspicuity relies largely on contrast characteristics such as color, movement, brightness, shape and size.
“Most commonly with trucks, the misconception is that their large size by itself makes them conspicuous. At night the size of the trailer by itself will not make it conspicuous since other contrast problems will make the trailer virtually invisible. Without any close-in lighting reflecting off the painted surface of the trailer, it will appear black against the black background. Then an approaching driver will have to rely on the side marker lights for his only cue to the presence of the trailer. However, even with the legal placement of marker lights on the sides of the trailer, approaching drivers will still often not perceive the trailer as an obstruction blocking their path.
“Marker lights are small and can be spaced as far as 26 feet apart on the side of a trailer, not providing on-coming drivers with enough information to determine that what they are looking at is a trailer. Marker lights can be misleading, and without an external light source, trailers are often not identified until the headlights of oncoming vehicles directly illuminate them. When their headlights illuminate the trailer, on-coming drivers will only be 100 to 200 feet away, and unable to stop at higher speeds.”
“Retroreflective tape is very effective in making trailers visually –stand out. However, a truck driver should never assume that the presence of this tape on a trailer will automatically guarantee that the trailer will be seen. If the tape is dirty, badly worn, or if the truck is at a steep angle to traffic, oncoming drivers may not be alerted to the presence of the trailer. The underride hazard is still present. Therefore Lights all around the sides are a much better alternative.”
An in-depth discussion of causes of underride collisions can be found at: crashforensics.com: Truck Underride Collision Analysis
NOTE: This is a very important issue. Having more warning that a collision is imminent will mean that the driver of the passenger vehicle will be more likely to brake and reduce the vehicle speed upon collision. However, this is not an either/or situation. Without adequate underride protection, even at speeds as low as 15 mph, a passenger vehicle can go under the truck — causing catastrophic underride and Passenger Compartment Intrusion injuries.
With both adequate truck conspicuity and underride protection, many lives will be saved.
