Virginia Motorists Do Not Want to Share the Road With Bigger Trucks

Martha Mitchell Meade, Virginia AAA Mid-Atlantic's Public and Government Affairs Manager, was invited last July to join with other safety advocates in meetings with members of Congress by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT), a non-profit organization opposed to legislation authorizing longer and heavier trucks.

"In Richmond, where I work and live, I-85, I-64, I-95 and I-295 are all part of the everyday lives of motorists. I-64 has the highest rate of crashes of all Virginia's six interstates... As congestion on these highways increase, the ramifications of introducing heavier and longer trucks into the mix will increase accidents and fatalities," Meade said.

About one in every four vehicles on the I-81 running along the western spine of the state through Roanoke is a tractor-trailer. In a recent analysis done by the Roanoke Times, more than 20 percent of the vehicles involved in crashes on I-81 were big rigs. In 2009, 77 people were killed and 1,619 were injured in Virginia crashes involving tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks. A total of 3,200 large trucks were involved in non-fatal crashes.

A bill to be voted in Congress would allow the maximum gross weight of large trucks to be increased from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds, and the use without restriction on interstate haulage of longer combination vehicles (LCV) tractors with two trailers.

Both the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters oppose the bill. Law enforcement officials across Virginia and throughout the nation express grave concerns about the safety of motorists if the heavier truck bill goes through.

If you have been hurt in a Virginia truck crash, please contact our truck accident lawyers in Warrenton or Culpeper today. You can have a free discussion of your case with one of our skilled, dedicated attorneys to see how we can help you secure fair compensation.