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I had problems stopping that video and magnifying the steep grade signs. Sometimes they will tell truckers the grade of the hill they are about to descend. In this case, since truckers were not allowed on the hill, I think they did not post the grade. But I could be wrong. The states do not like to go over about a 5% grade; although I have seen steeper grades. My driveway is 18% and the people that paved it will not pave over 20%. Of course the length of the hill also plays an important part. The longer the hill; the hotter the brakes.
Someone posted earlier that the hill is a mile long, with a very increased slope in the last section ending at the stop sign. Trucks were banned after several lost their brakes and couldn’t stop. The poster speculated the driver may have had to ride the brakes the entire mile and then when the grade increased at the end they were already too overheated.
Can someone explain why this incident was considered so news worthy that it was covered for days and days? I don't get it. Twenty people are killed in crashes every day.
The death toll from Saturday’s accident made it the worst transportation-related accident in the country in nine years, dating to a 2009 plane crash outside Buffalo that killed 50 people.
Can you explain to us all your deliberate obtuseness?
Can someone explain why this incident was considered so news worthy that it was covered for days and days? I don't get it. Twenty people are killed in crashes every day.
Probably because you are still interested enough to be reading about it.
Someone posted earlier that the hill is a mile long, with a very increased slope in the last section ending at the stop sign. Trucks were banned after several lost their brakes and couldn’t stop. The poster speculated the driver may have had to ride the brakes the entire mile and then when the grade increased at the end they were already too overheated.
One of the occupants complained about the sound of the motor. My thinking is that the driver knew his brakes were failing and tried to use the engine to slow down by downshifting. Of course that transmission was an automatic and designed for a lighter vehicle (the original SUV before they stretched it). The motor or transmission of both were probably screaming because they were never designed to hold back the kind of weight that vehicle was carrying. There is a chance that the transmission totally failed by the time they were at the bottom; but that information should come out in the investigation. I could be totally wrong?
Thank you. That's the video I saw before. There are, I think, 3 signs saying no trucks. No caution signs - even on the curves, the speed limit only drops from 55 to 50. The guy wasn't driving a truck, so why would the no trucks sign influence him?
From the video, it doesn't look like a very steep hill to me. Since it's such a dangerous intersection, I'd expect the speed limit to be much lower when approaching it, but the speed limit never drops below 50.
Yeah, I think the speed limit was part of the problem. We have a lot of highway intersections exactly like that one here in Oregon. Typically here when approaching an intersection like that, the first indication is a 45 mph Zone Ahead sign. Next is the 45 mph Speed Limit sign. Then a 35 mph Speed Limit sign, then a Stop Ahead warning sign, then the Stop sign, plus a lot of flashing red or yellow lights. It's pretty hard to miss all those signs and flashing lights.
I don't know how common that is in NY, but how they expect somebody to come to a complete sudden stop from 55 mph I have no idea. It looks to me like they probably didn't even change the signs after they reconfigured that intersection. I have never seen a highway warning sign that the speed will reduce to 50 mph after a Stop sign. That seems pointless. The emphasis should be on the Stop Ahead. Then they can put a speed limit sign after that, to let drivers know what speed they can resume.
All of the discussion about speed limit might be somewhat moot if the vehicle was unable to stop. I wouldn't be surprised after the investigation if the speed limit on that stretch is lowered 10mph though.
Another poster said the weight limit on that road was dropped to five tons. He was over five tons.
No way. Closer to four tons. It was originally a two ton vehicle. The stretch would double the weight. Even with the passenger's weight, it would have still been well under five tons.
No way. Closer to four tons. It was originally a two ton vehicle. The stretch would double the weight. Even with the passenger's weight, it would have still been well under five tons.
20 adults x 150 pounds each = 3000 pounds, 1-1/2 tons. Conservatively calculated. Leaving 3-1/2 tons for the vehicle, which left the factory at "6650 to 7190 pounds" - or 3.25 to 3.6 tons. Meaning 5 tons without the stretch modifications.
Correction: subtract 2x150. Only 18 were in the vehicle. 300 pounds doesn't change much, anyway.
Addendum: Factory payload is 1700-1900 pounds, meaning the original structure was nearly 100% overloaded by just the passsenger weight.
Pretty meaningless calculation and limit, though. Roads don't collapse because (modestly) overweight vehicles drive on them. Weight limits are for bridges and long-term durability.
But still - probably six to eight tons on a consumer-grade truck chassis, which may have been properly strengthened in some areas but almost certainly did not replace all suspension, brakes, driveline etc. to cope with that mass.
All of the discussion about speed limit might be somewhat moot if the vehicle was unable to stop. I wouldn't be surprised after the investigation if the speed limit on that stretch is lowered 10mph though.
The speed limit is important. That is why they have low speed limits for trucks on downgrades. It's entirely possible that he could have stopped if the speed limit was lower and he was following it. And I agree, I would bet money that they will lower the speed limit, at least for the approach to the stop sign.
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