RV Driver Says One Change Could Have Prevented Officer's Death

[DriVer]

IN THE NEWS

Google RV Newsfeed
Via: WSMV.com

"A Police Officer was tragically struck and killed by an unsuspecting RV driver"

Nashville, TN -- Dean and Lucille Diver were on their way home from a Florida vacation, driving the same RV they've driven coast-to-coast and border-to-border without any problems before.

Continued ....

[Tony Lee]

just before a blind curve on Interstate 65.

Do they have blind curves on interstates.

[BigSkyBob]

If you want to experience blind curves on Interstate highways come travel I15 in western Montana. There are blind curves with posted speed limits as low as 45 MPH. Blind curves are not uncommon on the mountain passes but the traffic is usually traveling at a slower pace. But if you are on a down grade of 6 or 7% then stopping or forced to maneuver through or around emergencies it could pose a serious issue.

[DriVer]

I was gong to say that I saw some "Blind Curves" coming off the plateau in TN on the I-40. Not too uncommon to get a BC on an Interstate.

A tragic loss ..... prayers to the family and the RV driver. I'm sure that they will never get over this.

I used to work a stretch of the Interstate in Connecticut while I was an active firefighter. We were basically on a straight away but yet, it was always very hazardous. You have to do your job while keeping your head on a swivel.

[Magumba]

What a tragic accident, I can't say for sure this applies to the situation but people tend to drive too fast for conditions. I try to never drive so fast I can't stop in the distance I can see ahead when approaching a curve or crest of a hill.

[The Okie]

Blind curves on interstate west of Indianapolis almost caused us to have wreck last march. We were headed east bound when we rounded a curve at the same time as we started under an underpass. In don't of us traffic had stopped for an accident that had occurred up the road. It just happened that I had enough room in front of us to get it stopped. Thankfully I driver with 2 stage jake brake switch on at all time. Without the jakes we would have not gotten stopped. So blind curves do exist on interstates we just don't really pay attention to them until something like this happens. Pray for all those involved and all those effected by this tragic accident.

[wa8yxm]

YES they do have blind curves on interstates.. My best guess is the sign was one of the temp foldable tube signs officers carry and he did not have one that said "TWO LANES" or a changable message sign that did not have a "2 LANES" message.

But slowing down when you see flashing lights really helps.

Proper use of flairs might have helped too, epically with the blind curve. many things may have helped.

Fact: I carry a book with me that tells me how to lay out safety break down triangles or flares, it covers blind curves, straight highways, hills and both one and 2 lane roads. This book is REQUIRED READING for professional drivers but optional for me.. Still I carry it, that's why.

I also have the document on my hard drive (The section that covers flair placement).

I have seen professional drivers lay out a flair pattern that dang near killed me... And I have seen them ticketed for improper flair pattern as well. I even had coffee with the motor carrier officer who wrote that ticket (Well... I was his dispatcher).

But I think there is fault to be shared in this case.

[Larry and Suzette]

[QUOTE=wa8yxm;2051288 ...

Fact: I carry a book with me that tells me how to lay out safety break down triangles or flares, it covers blind curves, straight highways, hills and both one and 2 lane roads. This book is REQUIRED READING for professional drivers but optional for me.. Still I carry it, that's why.

I also have the document on my hard drive (The section that covers flair placement).

.[/QUOTE]

Where can I get a copy of the book and the file that you have on your hard drive?

Found this on http://ice4safety.blogspot.com/2009/...ad-flares.html

Flare Placement:
Flares should be positioned in a tapered pattern to direct vehicles away from behind your vehicle. Using flares on the opposite side of the roadway at the scene of a crash can help delineate the accident scene. Inclement weather (usually the accident cause) can hamper the speed of your deployment.

To determine the placement of the first flare (furthest from vehicle) use the posted speed limit - convert that to feet then multiply by a factor of 4 - (30 = 30 x 4 or 120 ft)

If the speed limit is over 50 mph, then multiply that speed by 4 and add 100 to get the distance ( 60mph = (60x4) +100 =340ft). On a curve add the distance from the bottom of the curve to the top of the curve and add to the distance calculated. A chart might help:

30 mph ----- 30 ft ----- 120 ft
40 mph ----- 40 ft----- 160 ft
55 mph ----- 55 ft ----- 220 + 100 = 320 ft
65 mph ----- 65 ft ----- 260 + 100 = 360 ft
(f/Fundamentals of Emergency Care - Beebe/Funk 2001)

If you are off the road on the shoulder out of traffic that is ideal although not perfectly safe as accident statistics and prior experience has shown us - but better than in the high speed traffic lane. Placing yourself in high speed traffic without any professional assistance in an effort to manage traffic can get you seriously injured or worse.