RV accident kills five!

[QRTRHRS]

I decided to post this here rather than the safety forum since vehicle safety is always a concern on the transportation forum.

First off, my heart goes out to the family(s) that were involved in this tragic accident. The seventeen year old that was driving will carry this burden forever.

That said, the news said that the truck was a Freightliner. From the photos, I think it may have been a class 7 pulling maybe a toy hauler trailer. I have also read that they had a web site.

Several thoughts on this. Though I was driving dump trucks including pulling a tag along at seventeen, it was a far different time and I did not have people with me who's life's I was responsible for.

These folks were at some kind of event. Were they competing and if so, how was this rig licensed.

Was this rig safe? Is anyone really scrutinizing a setup like this the way a commercial vehicle is or at least is supposed to be?

You don't hear of tragidies like this involving RV's all that often. Perhaps this one made headlines because of five deaths. Still, I have said it before and I will say it again, some oversight is needed both vehicle and driver qualification wise for RV's

 

[HHR]

It was a tandem axle Freightliner Columbia class 8 truck with a stretched frame and a custom "class c" RV body on the back. The trailer was a triple axle double decker tag trailer. I'm guessing truck weight around 40k and trailer weight over 18k.
Driver was 17 years old with a provisional license.
Sad story.

 

[AGGIE00]

Why isn't an accident ever an accident. Everything is avoidable, but to what point. Every tragedy does not need to result in more laws and more government involvement to save us from ourselves.

 

[timswi]

Why isn't an accident ever an accident. Everything is avoidable, but to what point. Every tragedy does not need to result in more laws and more government involvement to save us from ourselves.

Very, very true.

 

[Ken45101]

Without any reference to the story or what really caused the accident, why should we jump to the conclusion that some licensing requirement would have prevented it?

Actually, a high percentage of accidents happen with new drivers. Maybe we should raise the age limit to 26 for driving. Oh wait, then they would still be new drivers at 26 and more accident prone. 36? 46? Maybe we just shouldn't allow new drivers on the road at all.

One kid making a mistake with the family compact car can kill a half dozen people too. That's happened many times.

My 17 year old drove our travel trailer through the (eastern) mountains at night while I got some sleep. My wife rode shotgun but she was afraid to drive the trailer.

 

[HHR]

Here is a link to the news story.

http://www.startribune.com/local/145595155.html

Here is another link that has more info on the vehicles.

http://www.startribune.com/local/145741265.html

 

[powerpace]

No 17 year old should have been driving that rig. Experience is the teacher in all things. Even though he competed in driving sporting events doe's not make the driver an expert in driving a RV. Most States are adopting laws to limit the hours and driving situations of younger drivers. Accidents are the number one killer of young people.

CDC - Teen Drivers Fact Sheet - Motor Vehicle Safety

 

[AGGIE00]

No 17 year old should have been driving that rig. Experience is the teacher in all things. Even though he competed in driving sporting events doe's not make the driver an expert in driving a RV. Most States are adopting laws to limit the hours and driving situations of younger drivers. Accidents are the number one killer of young people.

CDC - Teen Drivers Fact Sheet - Motor Vehicle Safety

Maybe not, but we don't need another law because of it. By the same rational no 17yo should be driving anything but a horse. There are more than plenty of adults that could not handle that rig and many 17yo that can. By the time I was 17 I had driven everything and most before I had a license. I had more experience with tractor trailer rigs than a lot of guys coming out of truck driving school. It all depends on the person. When I was a kid a friend of mine wrecked his mustang, so I guess those are out too.

 

[tractchores]

Wow, the article says there were 18 people on board. That's pretty crazy and a lot of responsibility for a 17 year old. Who knows if laws would have made a difference or not. Pretty sad

 

[powerpace]

Maybe not, but we don't need another law because of it. By the same rational no 17yo should be driving anything but a horse. There are more than plenty of adults that could not handle that rig and many 17yo that can. By the time I was 17 I had driven everything and most before I had a license. I had more experience with tractor trailer rigs than a lot of guys coming out of truck driving school. It all depends on the person. When I was a kid a friend of mine wrecked his mustang, so I guess those are out too.

So by your rational it's okay. As long as no one gets hurt or caught while doing it illegally? I'm sure the dead and injured had a choice too.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death among teenagers, and Minnesota has one of the nations worst death rates. In response, the Minnesota State Legislature introduced a set of rules in 2008 restricting when teenagers can drive, and limiting the passengers they can carry during the first year of holding a driver's license.

For the first six months, drivers under 18 can't drive between midnight and 5 a.m. except to travel to work or school, or if they have a licensed driver over 25 with them.

For the first first six months, drivers under 18 can only have one other teenage passenger, unless accompanied by a parents of guardian. Then, for the next six months, teenagers may only drive up to three teenage passengers.