[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by TransplantedFloridian

At least you'd be on an interstate. I wrote some idiot the other day for 77 in a 25 residential zone with homes on both sides of the roadway. $1100.00. No regrets.

I pick a place way out in the country with no side roads or traffic. I just get up to speed fast and back down fast. I mean i got a 610 hp car and sometimes you got to let it rip for a few secs. I would never do that around traffic or where cars can pull out in front of you. This thing pops up to 100+ in secs.

I drive on US 19 and it is solid red lights and people jerking out in front of you so i get very little chance to open it up 99% of the time.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by TransplantedFloridian

At least you'd be on an interstate. I wrote some idiot the other day for 77 in a 25 residential zone with homes on both sides of the roadway. $1100.00. No regrets.

Thank-you for that. You may have saved the drivers life, or someone elses life at some point of time in the future. Keep up the good work!

[LKJ1988]

I see it is back from it's time off.

[wizrap]

I can't even try to imagine the pain of the families who lost loved ones. A happy trip to Disney ends so tragically.

Living in Gainesville for these past 4 years, I feel that, for some reason, there are far more trucks (large ones) on this stretch of I75 in Florida than other highways (compared to the Turnpike and I95 and even I4). I travel southbound about once a month to see clients in SFLA and I try to keep to the far left lane.

I don't travel north nearly as often, but I do know southbound that trucks are limited to the first two right hand lanes; I'm pretty sure it's the same heading northbound from the Turnpike to I75 & that it might even extend as far north as High Springs/ Alachua.

Also, my impression is that the truck drivers are not as sharp as I've usually remembered. For example, cutting it close changing lanes, keeping their turn signal blinkers on long after they've changed lanes, staying in the middle lane long after they've passed and now other cars have to go around the (either left or right). I hear nationwide there's a shortage of skilled truck drivers. Wonder if they're graduating from the drivers school too quickly.

And that's not to say that the semi was at fault in this accident. But all I'm saying is that when I used to see a truck on the road I would feel confident that an extremely competent driver was behind the wheel. I don't feel that way anymore.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by TransplantedFloridian

Get the Sheriff's Offices to do traffic enforcement on the Interstates.

Based on my observation, I-75 Alachua County has been well-patrolled. However, that could have been FHP. I always check my speed when passing through there, and I rarely go above 5-7 mph over.

[MUSTANGMOM6]

This is a long post but bare with me as it relates to the crash that took 7 lives so far. Last year on my way back from south of Tampa I got between two semi's, nothing new been there before, but the one on the outside lane drifted in my lane so I blew my horn to let him know, went a few more miles and he did it again and again I honked my horn the third time he did it he came even closer to me causing me to have to get closer to the other semi and then I knew this was no accident so I knew when we went around curves the semi who was coming into my lane would go high and I knew the next curve I was going to get out of that situation before I got myself and possibly others killed, this guy in the blue cab semi was nuts, so sure enough as soon as I rounded the curve he went high and I punched it and got in front of the other semi and of course there sat the FHP, I was O.K. with that, I'm the wife of a retired LEO and as long as I was out of that scary situation if I got a ticket no problem, well the Trooper doesn't get out and I'm still trying to get my act together after realizing just how close I came from being killed, well finally the Trooper comes up asked to see my License and registration and I said I was getting away from the Semi's, he took my info. ran it and wrote me a ticket for doing 85 mph and he said I was going 89, I would have believed whatever he said I was doing, he was polite told me how to handle it and from stop until I pulled out couldn't have been more than 12 minutes. I get home and I told my husband what happened and I said when you first started out and were on patrol and got a speeder what was your first question and he said why were you speeding and I said I was never asked that, so I decided to go to court just so I could explain why I was speeding because I was never given the chance, I wasn't fighting the ticket but I felt like I should at least be heard. I'm next to the last person and the judge is flipping through all this clear paper and looking at me and he said there's nothing here and I said right and he said how long have you been driving and at that time I said over 40 years and he said you've got nothing here so I've got to hear what happened, so I told him I was in a dangerous situation with the semi driver on the outside lane and he was like I've been there it's scary as hell and I laughed and said yeah it was and I said I knew my only chance was on the next curve when the semi driver went high I was going to punch it and I did and before I could get it out the Judge said there was the Trooper and I laughed and said yep, as soon as I saw him I began to pull over even before he hit his lights and I repeated what happened and that the only reason I'm here is to say why I was going so fast and the judge said the Trooper wrote getting by Semi's and the Judge asked me did he ask you anything else and I said no, that's what bothered me because I ask my husband what he did first thing and it was to see if there was a reason to be driving that fast and the Trooper said why didn't you call and I said I don't talk on the phone when I'm driving and the Judge said that's right, anyway I explained I tried slowing down he would slow down, speeding up he would speed up, he was playing a dangerous game and I wanted out so the judge said dismissed and the Trooper said but I only wrote her for doing 85 and the judge said if you had done your job correctly we could have gotten that semi driver off the road before he did kill someone but I guess it was your lunch time because you failed LE 101 why are you speeding you didn't even ask her why she was going so fast if you had we wouldn't be here because you would have recognized the danger she was in and should have got with DOT and got this driver off the road but instead you've wasted her time and mine all because you didn't ask the right questions. I felt bad and I said to the judge I wasn't there to dispute I was speeding I just wanted my reason to be told and the Trooper was polite and the judge said yeah but what if that driver did the same thing to another person and this time it didn't turn out as well and all because the Trooper didn't do his job, I felt bad for him but the judge said you did the right thing and I hope we catch him and this won't even show up on a spotless record so when I saw this crash last night I wondered if what happened to me happened to them maybe not intentionally like mine was but all it takes is a few seconds of taking your eyes of the road and your in someone else's lane and this crash is the result, I told my husband the spot this happened at was not far from where I was pulled over and I said God had Angels on my shoulders and in my Truck that night. When you've been driving a long time you get a feel for people and what to look for and I knew the driver of that Semi was going to be bad and I was right and for me I made it and for those 5 children who will never get to live their lives and the others who are fighting for their lives my heart breaks for them and for the drivers of the truck because right now I've not read who's at fault but whomever it is they will also have family who will grieve no matter who's at fault. Every day is a Grace given to us by God and we shouldn't waste it on things that don't matter and I pray for those trying to survive that are in the hospital, I know two of the children were the Pastor of the Church's children and that the van was carrying those kids to Disney World, I can't imagine his pain and I believe I read his wife is one of those fighting to live so please send prayers to all who are trying to survive this horrific tragedy.

[LKJ1988]

That was hard to read mr reed. Spacing out helps the eyes sly.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by wizrap

Also, my impression is that the truck drivers are not as sharp as I've usually remembered. For example, cutting it close changing lanes, keeping their turn signal blinkers on long after they've changed lanes, staying in the middle lane long after they've passed and now other cars have to go around the (either left or right). I hear nationwide there's a shortage of skilled truck drivers. Wonder if they're graduating from the drivers school too quickly.

And that's not to say that the semi was at fault in this accident. But all I'm saying is that when I used to see a truck on the road I would feel confident that an extremely competent driver was behind the wheel. I don't feel that way anymore.

Common knowledge that many truck drivers have cooked their logs...and, of course, there has always been an underlying drug culture there also.

Even independent of that, the booming population and needs of Florida - and lack of railways and other transport methods - mean more and more (and even more) trucks will be there. No way around it - that's how people get their stuff.

Whatever it is today will only get worse. It is possibly that self-driving or assisted driving and electrically driven trucks will improve the situation in a couple decades.

What has happened is that the east coast (from top to bottom) has become such a parking lot that truckers and even many cars now take the long ways around. The guy that hauls our car south always does so - he doesn't touch I-95 if he isn't forced to. I have to imagine the same is true with thousands of others.

This should be called "chaos planning" because it's really the lack of any plan at all. I was amazed when I drove south once or twice on what used to be a pleasant drive (95 from DC to Florida)...and now it's hard because you are always surrounded by other cars and trucks. It used to be that we'd barely see the car far in front of us!

[beach43ofus]

Most newer trucks have computer controlled driver logs that cannot be tampered with. These are mostly operated by larger fleets to control liability lawsuits.

The small independent truckers are less likely to have an computerized driver log system on board. Some do, but less as a % of total than the Fortune 500 fleets do because they have more to lose in a bad accident.

Also...the drug culture in trucking...much less so now than pre-CDL (commercial drivers license) became law. Truck drivers are randomly drug checked now much like pro Football players are. Not just upon being hired, but ongoing.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by kmarc

Wow, that was a bad one.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/7-...D=ansmsnnews11

Being investigated as a homicide. Hmmm. Why would that be?

"Emergency crews extinguished the fire and said they were treating the crash as a homicide investigation, but didn't say why. The fire was so intense that authorities said it damaged parts of the road."

That's a bad stretch of road, as I recall.

It's ALWAYS 18 wheelers. ALWAYS. And people wonder why I don't go on the interstate.