OT: What's the value of a human life?

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
Every summer there is road construction on I 70 near Terre Haute. Every year someone dies. Last year 7 people died near the construction sites. Traffic slows down because of one lane is closed and usually a semi doesn't slow down.

Latest accident, a semi rear ends another semi. It happened last Friday. They finally have the identity of the deceased semi driver. If you want to google it, there are many accounts of the same accident. The deceased was a young man from Canada.

So I ask, what's the value of a human life? Why can't they afford to have a cop to slow the traffic at construction sites before someone gets killed?
I 70 and Exit 3 Darwin Road.
 
Sad story George and your point is well taken. However, in a big city for example, there might be hundreds if not more construction sites on the roadways on a given day. So to have someone paid to direct traffic at every one of them, while it might have some effect on fatalities, I suspect it wouldn't be feasible (maybe impossible) to even consider it. Not that your post isn't worthwhile, it is, and maybe someone will slow down because of reading it.
 
(quoted from post at 14:55:49 09/18/18) Every summer there is road construction on I 70 near Terre Haute. Every year someone dies. Last year 7 people died near the construction sites. Traffic slows down because of one lane is closed and usually a semi doesn't slow down.

Latest accident, a semi rear ends another semi. It happened last Friday. They finally have the identity of the deceased semi driver. If you want to google it, there are many accounts of the same accident. The deceased was a young man from Canada.

So I ask, what's the value of a human life? Why can't they afford to have a cop to slow the traffic at construction sites before someone gets killed?
I 70 and Exit 3 Darwin Road.

Pretty simple, our politicians would rather that someone die than to cut wasteful spending. If it were not for that they would cut spending and increase the number of cops on the road. But they won't and if you ask them they will say it's our fault because we thing we pay enough in taxes as it is.

Rick
 
In most places a police car with all the lights on is just another target for the dazed and confused operating on the roads. Why put the cop's life in danger?
 
And how would the cop keep up with the "end of the line" where they need to slow way down or maybe come to a stop?

If there is this billboard size non-moving wall approaching at 70mph, what else might get their attention in time to stop before hitting it?
 

Your solution, to stage a cop out in harms way to slow the traffic, will solve nothing. If they don't see the signs (or if a semi can't see another semi and hits it) then they will not see a cop. If you are afraid to drive through there then find another route. The world is round and there are lots of roads.
 
They are making I65 3 lanes each way down here. Just about every day sometimes twice a day there's a wreck and traffic sets for hours.
 
Here in nj they have those great big flat bed trucks with a bunch of fasshy lites and also those big fold down impact bumpers. Last night on the way home there were three cop cars full ablaze and then this suv with the two guys. Take a look at the rear right tire. Looks as if the rear axle broke some how. Around a year and a half ago a nj transit bus ran off the hyway into the trees. Luck driver wasn't going too fast.
a280297.jpg

a280298.jpg

a280299.jpg
 
Last year, after 7 deaths, money was sat aside and cops were sitting near construction site. They slowed traffic with lights on. It stopped the accidents.

In Indiana if a cop or emergency vehicle has it lights on, you are required to slow down and pull over to give them room.

No cop was killed.

So it doesn't sound like most of you don't think a life is worth saving?

So how would you stop the killing?
 
I dont have the numbers if it has actually reduced accident rates in IL after they made all work zones 45 mph. Penalties are pretty severe for a speeding offense minimum fine of 375 and have to appear in court as part of it. Most people go 45 and no more in work zones around here. They also use photo enforcement in work zones. When i go to other states work zone speed limits are a joke and poorly enforced.
 
On the I35 construction through Ft Worth they often work at night so not to back up traffic as bad.

They do have cops stationed at the construction areas. I assume they are cops, may be rent-a-cops, but they keep their lights on, show their presence.

It may have some positive effect, I don't hear too much about accidents or deaths related to the construction. But then it may be so common it doesn't make the news.

I do hear quite often that police cars, firetrucks, get rear ended while stopped on the freeway. Just yesterday they were talking about the 1 year anniversary of an officer killed by a drunk driver while helping a stalled motorist.

Flashing light can actually draw a drunk off course and right into the lights. Seems to have a hypnotic effect, they lock on to the lights and drive right into them!
 
It would not make any difference what the posted speed limit is. Just in the last 7 days I have been very close to getting rear ended in a construction site 5 times. Between North Vernon and Seymour they are making a round-about (about as wide as a sidewalk) where the posted is 25 MPH. I was doing 35 and a car came up behind me very fast and had to lock up the brakes to keep from hitting me. His skid marks were measured at 228' by the workers trying to pour concrete (and stay alive) there.
 
OK, so here I sit in Pennsylvania, and there you are having a stroke about a road in Indiana. What would you like me to do???

First things first. These are decidedly NOT accidents. An accident is when you are driving along minding your own business, following the rules, and something unforeseen happens. THAT is an ACCIDENT. On the other hand, when you are daydreaming behind the wheel, speeding, texting, or otherwise distracted and a collision happens, that is NOT an accident. That is what I call a crash or a wreck. Another thing that is contributing to the crashes is when I turn on my radio and hear a truck driving school advertising that you c an make over $40,000 a year driving a big truck and they can have you on the road in 30 days making that much money. How hard should I sue that school when one of their "30-day-wonders" kills one of my friends or family?

Of course, it is not a good thing for folks to be getting killed on the highways. But, I have no power to help you. I'm 800 miles away. Maybe you should focus your efforts on the government officials responsible for highway safety in your own area. They really don't care what some guys a thousand miles away say or think. Honest.
 
To pay for the cops have 2 one clocking the speed of drivers going into the construction zone and the other at the end writing tickets.Most places I see they'd pay for both their wages
before their shift was half over.I see some places speeding in a construction zone gets the driver a flat $200 fine over top of the speeding fine which seems reasonable to me.
 
(quoted from post at 15:39:35 09/18/18) Last year, after 7 deaths, money was sat aside and cops were sitting near construction site. They slowed traffic with lights on. It stopped the accidents.
Then it stands to reason that if the highway dept were to put up something a little different, it should do the job. ...But what?

How many of you have seen those speed limit things that show you your speed as you're coming into town? Rather than showing your speed, this could be set up with lights that begin to flash, along with a blaring siren or some noise to help "wake them up"....whomever the them may be. There could also be a camera to go after folks who don't slow down.

As for all the accidents and deaths, semis are much larger, heavier and take much longer distance to stop/slow down. Most small cars don't seem to realize this, and will drive as though the semi is as nimble as they are. So there's plenty of fault on both sides. Yet with semi's, due to their size and weight, there is usually more damage, and possibly a higher death rate than when only smaller vehicles are involved.

I promise you, there can be a system built that will always be out there rain or shine, and can do just as good a job at slowing folks down as a cop standing by the road. It's just a matter of making it happen.

The root of the problem would then seem to be the folks in charge, whether that be the highway dept, the politicians, or both. Target these people -- not so much the semi's.

Historically, such change only comes about because people stand up and force the change. And sometimes that starts with one voice; one person willing to go up and lay it on the line to the folks in charge.
 
Not sure about hypnotic but the new LED lights on cop cars are blinding at night if you need to drive past one.
 
I don't think you can fix stupid.
Here in NY on major highways construction signs appear about a mile before a construction site and get closer to each other including those big portable digital signs with arrow alerting drivers to lane closures, plus big trucks with crash boxes and flashing arrows in rear protecting the workers. Often there is a cop on duty in construction zones and the fine for people driving faster than the posted speed are charged double amount of fine.
Sounds like that driver was already brain dead, and so is the rest of his body now.
Loren
 
To my knowledge George is NOT having a stroke. That's about the stupidest statement I have noticed


in a while.
 
(quoted from post at 19:39:35 09/18/18) Last year, after 7 deaths, money was sat aside and cops were sitting near construction site. They slowed traffic with lights on. It stopped the accidents.

So the cheaper solution is to just use a worn out, retired cop car.
Park it at strategic location and turn the lights on.
Nobody inside needed.
 
Many complain about the state workers standing around. I have a friend that works for NYSDOT, their policy is a minimum of five men for even the smallest job. Two flagmen and a number of trucks parked to provide some safety to the workers. I haven't worked on the road but have done some work for utilities on the side of the road and it can be scary, people just do not slow down.
 
Similar situation here in IN but such was once not the case.

Blame tort attorneys.

Dean
 
In my state someone in law enforcement has decided that they are above the law (cops get to decide the law) and although the law is 70 MPH, they will only ticket someone doing 85 or above. You can Hit the cruise button at 80 and never worry, they may stop the odd trucker going by you on the inside. Last week I was on cruise 77MPH in the middle lane. Looked in the mirror but did not remember passing the tanker behind me, in the inside lane. Reason? I had not passed him, he blew past me like I was stopped, must have been running 90 MPH, 18wheel tanker.

In answer to your question. The cops have decided that your life does not matter, so they do not have to enforce the laws. They have the authority, but not the will or understanding of the consequences.
 
Exactly what happened here, road construction, traffic stopped, semi rear ended another semi with a car between. Fortunately there weren't more in the car than the driver.
a280320.jpg

a280321.jpg
 
I have a very simple idea for texting or distracted driving while on the phone. We have the technology to make cell phones stop working if they are moving. Gps can track a cell unit, or you can tell how fast you are moving. So why not make phones go dead while moving? This would suck to get used to, but many people would not die. But try to sell this idea, bet it would never fly. Al
 
I find it interesting that traffic deaths today are about the same as the year 1950. Based on this info. and number of cars on the road today, we aren't doing all that bad. Some folks don't think they need to fasten their seat belt, Not much we can do about it except fine them enough hoping they will change their mind.
 
That would indeed stop the driver from using their phone but how would you differentiate between the driver's phone and those of the passengers?
 
It was a figure of speech. Also, it was only the SECOND stupidest statement. Failure to recognize a figure of speech is far more stupid.
 
Several years ago I was driving through South Carolina and a mile or so before each contruction zone and all through the zone there were big signs every couple hundred yards which read ''MANDATORY 30 DAYS IN JAIL FOR SPEEDING IN CONSTRUCTION ZONE -- NO EXCEPTIONS'' Every person on the highway was driving like a widow woman on the way to church through those construction zones, I would say South Carolina already has it figured out.
 
Just the opposite North of me in Greene and Madison VA the local and state cops will hand out a ticket to anything running over 5 MPH above the speed limit and run radar all the time on
US 29.Suits me I put it on cruise control at the speed limit.
 
Wife?s cousin lives in Baltimore, he believes and is convinced that wearing a seat belt is more dangerous than not. I don?t buy that.
 
Al,
totally agree. My car takes control of my phone. It answers phone and I can't text when car is in motion. I like that feature and don't plan to use voice commands to reply.
 
Last year most of the deaths were people in a car that a semi ran into. This is the first time the driver of semi died.
 
Very good idea.
I've seen that done in other states.
When a trucker see lights flashing, they get over to give cop
room.
Last trip to Indy I was passing a semi. He just about took my
front bumper off getting over for a cop.
 
If the cops work, get the cops back. Problem solved.

Here in the real world, there are two groups of people: those who panic when they see a cop, and those who ignore the cop because they know he's stuck where he is and can't do anything to stop them.
 
(quoted from post at 19:39:35 09/18/18) Last year, after 7 deaths, money was sat aside and cops were sitting near construction site. They slowed traffic with lights on. It stopped the accidents.

In Indiana if a cop or emergency vehicle has it lights on, you are required to slow down and pull over to give them room.

No cop was killed.

So it doesn't sound like most of you don't think a life is worth saving?

So how would you stop the killing?

I don't know if they still do it, but it used to be they would stick a Trooper at major construction sites to do just as you suggest in NY. It worked.

We had a woman near me that drove past a flagman, through a mess of barriers and into a 6 foot deep culvert excavation. Said she never saw a thing. Sometimes you can't stop a determined idiot.
 
A lot of times they don't even put up any signs warning about construction. I think it's unreasonable to have a cop out there slowing traffic down but they could put out rumble strips and signs to wake people up. This is something the highway contractor should do to protect their own workers.
 
I hate those new lights ! You can't see them from far off and when you can see them they are so bright they blind you ! Those old bubble spinning lights would shin in all directions so from far back you could notice them on the trees near by and such.
 
I always thought they should hire lots of people and shut the road completely off and hurry up and get it done. Instead they want job security or something and take their good ole time getting them fixed.
 
About 70 miles west of Fort Worth TX, on I20 there is a rift grade which rises about 300 feet on an escarpment. The original design of the interstate causes a curving and descending roadbed in sort of an S shape just east of the town of Ranger. It's known as 'Ranger hill'. For the past 25 years, it's been one of the deadliest pieces of interstate in the state of TX.

For the past 5-6 years, the highway crew has tried all kinds of things to stop the carnage on Ranger hill, but in any kind of wind, rain, ice or heavy traffic there would be a deadly pileup.

Recently, there's a new design road going in. The taxpayers are spending millions, and millions, and millions of $$$ to straighten, and grade the road. It looks like they are going to move a million yards of dirt just to fix this one bad piece of road without a decline in speed.

By the time the construction is done, it will be hugely expensive. But it carries a lot of traffic all day, every day. I guess that's the price.
 
They have blinking digital signs. Speed limit signs. Blinking Move over signs.

Semis are responsible for all the rear end deaths. Usually the people in the car gets run into and crushed between another stopped semi.

What's your solution?
 
Sad to say only the dumb driver got killed and not a family that is the victon of a dumb driver.
 
How many cars were on the road in 1950? How many smaller cars are on the road today. If you want to compare you need to find out how many total miles were driven in 1950 in huge gas guzzling tanks vs miles driven today in smaller tin cans

There are probably more cars on the road today vs 1950.
 
woodenships
What's with your condescending remark? Do you have a problem with me?

woodenships is back!!
 
If you quit buying stuff there would be less semis, therefore less semis crashes. It's all your fault because you are so consumption oriented. Of you just did your part all this would be solved. But like most, you want someone else to sacrifice so you can feel better. You've been in these truck hating rants before, and like those all you really want is to complain, tour never willing to sacrifice yourself to make things better. If you were truely worried about the welfare of others you would put on safety gear and get a flag and go stand by the construction to draw attention to it so folks slowed down. How many days a week are you willing to sacrifice to solve this problem? I'll bet if you did it for a while others would join you and soon you would have accident free work zones. Of course that would require something more from you than complaining, not a likely chance in my estimation.
 
I have worked road construction under traffic conditions for 37 years, major inter-state jobs through metro areas were our main work plus,out of metro area inter-state jobs. One Highway Patrolman told me he was writing a speeder a ticket and was asked if he could hurry up because he was late for his golf tee time. I have witnessed many accidents and idiotic incidents, and heard about many more. I have helped a car full of hookers out of a car after they drove into a foot of wet cement, and helped people out of a car after a rollover. If a Highway Patrol is stationed at the beginning of a five mile job as soon as they get by him they speed up. They will drive 75 mph 2 feet from construction workers but, will slow down for a duck or squirrel. The only way I can think of to slow people down is to let a bunch of ducks, squirrels, cats and dogs loose on a job, and I'm not kidding.
 
(quoted from post at 17:04:59 09/19/18) They have blinking digital signs. Speed limit signs. Blinking Move over signs.

Semis are responsible for all the rear end deaths. Usually the people in the car gets run into and crushed between another stopped semi.

What's your solution?

I would put money on 99% of those accidents being either the trucker looking at his cell phone or his electronic log/company scheduling system.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top