NTSB: Fatigue a Factor in 2016 Truck Crash; Renews Call for Collision Avoidance
The NTSB said the SUV was overloaded and had mechanical problems causing it to travel at only around 40 mph. Photo: NTSB
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A collision avoidance system might have prevented or lessened the severity of a 2016 crash between a tractor-trailer and an SUV that killed six people and injured five, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
NTSB says its report on the crash illustrates the need to implement 15 safety recommendations associated with the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements for fatigue, occupant protection and collision avoidance.
A seven-passenger sport utility vehicle, with a total of 11 occupants, was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer on I-70 near Goodland, Kansas, June 29, 2016, at about 2:15 a.m. Survivors of the crash said they believed the SUV was traveling near the posted minimum speed limit of 40 mph. Engine data on the tractor-trailer showed it was on cruise control traveling near the posted maximum speed limit of 75 mph at the time of impact.
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The truck after the crash. The NTSB said the driver may have been fatigued, and that collision avoidance/collision mitigation technology could have prevented or reduced the severity of the crash. Photo: NTSB
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The truck was operated by Precision Truck Lines Inc. and occupied by a 27-year-old male driver with three years of experience, on his second trip for the company. The truck driver took evasive action by applying the brakes and steering to the left, when he was about 100 feet away from the SUV. The investigation found that more than half the driver’s logbook entries were inconsistent with other documentation, and there is evidence that after working a daytime schedule the week before the crash, he inverted his sleep/wake schedule on this trip and was driving through …Read the rest of this story
