Mansfield, MA — The driver of a tanker truck was injured when he collided into a highway median on Interstate 95 in Mansfield, MA. The driver has yet to be identified, but was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital by first responders. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
There are two things we need to be looking at here. The first is the general safety of 18-wheelers, and the second is bad driving practices. Despite 18-wheelers being built with better and better accident-avoidance systems, as a rule they are generally very unsafe vehicles. Yes, they can drive someone across the country, but they’re really little more than storage sheds on wheels. Structurally, they aren’t very sound, and this means they can sometimes turn a bad accident into a fatal one. I make mention of this because we tend to look at accidents like these and blame all of the damage caused on the driver. This is unfair and isn’t always the case. The drivers don’t personally build the trucks they drive, so one could say that they can only be SO safe while driving. I mention bad driving practices because I understand that, when discussing accidents like this, it can seem like I’d prefer to lay the blame at the driver’s feet 100% of the time. This is not true. I have nothing against the drivers, I have everything against bad driving practices. These people are often only on the clock when the truck’s tires are rolling. They’re under tremendous pressure to deliver their cargo quickly, and in several cases — not all, but definitely some — encouraged to take unnecessary risks in order to do so. Reports say this accident took place at five a.m. How many of us can say that we’re at our sharpest that early in the morning? It’s very unfortunate, but when we’re dealing with a system in which speed is often placed above safety, accidents like this are going to happen.
— Grossman Law Offices
