Pennsylvania initiative aims to reduce truck crashes on I-81
As part of the TACT initiative, Acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said state police will aggressively look for violations that, historically, have contributed to crashes involving commercial vehicles. Those violations, he said, include speeding, following too closely, reckless driving, and unsafe lane changes. (PSP photo)
The Trucker Staff
9/30/2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A busy stretch of Interstate 81 in Dauphin and Cumberland counties will be the focus of a new initiative launched Monday by the Pennsylvania State Police that aims to reduce accidents involving commercial trucks.
“The Ticket Aggressive Cars and Trucks initiative, or TACT, encourages safe driving behavior by those driving passenger cars and commercial vehicles,” Acting State Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said during a news conference at department headquarters.
The TACT initiative will focus on the 33-mile section of I-81 from the Newville Exit in Cumberland County to the intersection with I-83 in Dauphin County.
“We typically have a lot of trucks through this area and troopers have investigated more than 750 crashes involving commercial vehicles along I-81 in Cumberland and Dauphin counties since 2003,” Pawlowski said.
TACT will use highway billboards, posters, safety awareness messages and brochures to educate drivers about the importance of sharing the road and steering clear of unsafe situations.
Joining Pawlowski for the event were Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator John Hill; James Runk, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association; and Scott Christie, PennDOT District 8 executive.
In his remarks, Hill emphasized the importance of state and federal governments working together — and noted, based on his long career in the Indiana State Police, that it’s not always easy to do.
Pennsylvania becomes the fifth state to officially launch a “Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks” program and joining Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Washington, which pioneered the program, according to Hill.
The trucking industry representative likewise commended the combined efforts that have brought the program to the state. Speaking later to The Trucker, Runk said an association member had donated the trailer wrapped with the “Leave More Space for Trucks” message. The trailer will be used in the high-traffic zone.
The association’s role will be primarily educational, Runk said, helping the state police in helping motorists to better understand the No Zone around big rigs. He also noted that the enforcement focus area is a double fine corridor.
As part of the initiative, Pawlowski said state police will aggressively look for violations that, historically, have contributed to crashes involving commercial vehicles. Those violations, he said, include speeding, following too closely, reckless driving, and unsafe lane changes.
“Many passenger car drivers don’t know a truck’s limitations in terms of maneuverability, stopping distances and blind spots,” Pawlowski said. “Driving around large trucks requires extra care.”
State police will use marked and unmarked patrol vehicles and fixed-wing aircraft as part of the enforcement effort. In addition, motor carrier enforcement teams will conduct truck inspections to look for faulty equipment, overweight vehicles and fatigued drivers.
Pawlowski said the initiative is funded primarily by grant money from the Federal Motor Carrier Assistance Administration obtained through PennDOT.