Nestle Driver Killed In Semi Accident

There have been some interesting comments on this post. First, let me express my condolences to the family of the driver who was killed.

I happen to be very familiar with this stretch of highway, and in fact, I saw the aftermath of this crash while I was on my way home that early morning.

First, a basic fact: when two vehicles collide at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal, *somebody* committed a violation. In this case, not having sufficient information, I couldn't tell you who ran the light.

This stretch of US 31 is particularly bad for trucks. Most of the traffic signals don't have a yellow light that's really long enough to enable trucks to safely come to a stop from highway speed. There have been quite a few occasions when I've had to do some high-performance braking at some of those lights.

What would greatly increase safety at these intersections is to add some "prepare to stop when flashing" signs. These are common in Ohio on secondary roads with higher speed limits, and give truck drivers much more time to stop, without having to slam on the brakes. Several intersections on this stretch of highway are down in hollows, preventing the signals from being seen for any distance.