Disoriented or Fatigue/Dozing off driver of a Semi Tractor Trailer Rig here in Utah 29 May killing the 57 yr old Driver, not clear at this time, what caused the driver to drift off the side of the road. Fatigue plays a part in up to 7500 fatal motor vehicle crashes year.
The scene of a fatal crash in Cache County on May 29, 2016. Images courtesy Utah Highway Patrol.
For some reason while sleeping I began dreaming about being a Truck Driver, which I have driven Trucks of all sizes and weights, especially Airfield Crash Fire Rigs, Brush & Structural Fire Engines for 24 yrs.
I know the feeling of dozing off, drifting all too often driving over 450 mi a day from 12:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. over countless city and desert roads/highways/freeways between Chino to Los Angeles to Trona, to San Bernardino to Barstow and back to Chino making delivers.
With today's technology and automobile collision avoidance & warning system, many of these Fatality & Serious Injury Crashes might be prevented, and the same for Automobiles, Pick-up Trucks, Vans & SUV/CRV's...
FMCSA's Hours of Service of Drivers Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2011.
A device/system to detect Driver's Alertness might auto-pull the Vehicle to safety and park, not allowing the vehicle is driven further without Law Enforcement to respond and make the determination/status of the driver and who can re-set this device/system. In addition the Trucking Business would be contacted to respond their own Safety Officer and possibly a relief driver.
Nothing is fail-safe (causing a piece of machinery or other mechanism to revert to a safe condition in the event of a breakdown or malfunction & a system or plan that comes into operation in the event of something going wrong or that is there to prevent such an occurrence).
It is a start in the right direction.
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