Kentucky to Reduce Highway Accidents with TACT program
Posted on Wed, Nov 03, 2010 @ 02:30 PM
Last week, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division of the Kentucky State Police began its Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks program. The goal of the campaign is to reduce fatal and non-fatal accidents on highways all over Kentucky. TACT is targeting motorists who drive carelessly around commercial trucks as well as commercial truckers who drive recklessly. KSP will partner with the Louisville Metro Police Department, Lexington Police Department and Boone County Sheriff's Office to accelerate the implementation of the campaign.
Kentucky State Police Commissioner, Rodney Brewer, points out some very interesting points on highway driving. He says that most people do not know the dangers of driving around a big rig. They often underestimate the possible consequences of reckless driving. Brewer added that a car (traveling roughly 80 MPH) only needs 160 feet to stop, whereas it takes a commercial truck (driving at that same rate of speed) somewhere between 800 and 1200 feet to stop. This is why a lot of accidents involving cars and commercial trucks occur when a car changes lanes to close to a truck and cuts it off.
In 2009, only 3 percent of vehicular accidents in Kentucky a involved a commercial truck, but 10 percent of fatal vehicular accidents involved a commercial truck, according to the state’s Traffic Collision Facts 2009 Report. The KSP also reported that 70 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks are caused by passenger vehicles. There is no doubt that commercial trucks are dangerous vehicles, and that is why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) partnered with KSP and other law enforcement agencies to help prevent collisions and help save lives. The FMCSA has also enacted the TACT program in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. The act will have officers crack down on aggressive driving behaviors such as following too close, unsafe lane changes, speeding and not leaving enough space when passing large trucks - all leading causes in accidents involving big rigs.