New Jersey Truckers Oppose New Bill to Reduce Falling Ice Accidents
A seemingly minor problem, but one that can cause serious injury to New Jersey motorists driving in the vicinity of an 18 wheeler in winter, will be dealt with by a new bill released by the Assembly Transportation Committee.
The bill, S520 will require all motorists to remove snow and ice from their vehicles before they begin to drive. Sponsored by Senator Nicholas J. Saco (D) the bill applies to both commercial as well as non commercial vehicles, and allows police to pull over motorists whose vehicles are not snow and ice free. Motorists will be required to remove snow and ice from the hood, trunk as well as the roof the vehicle. Although the bill is targeted at all motorists, it is especially relevant in the case of large trucks, like 18 wheelers. A single inch of snow on the roof of an 18 wheeler can weigh as much as 2000 pounds, and the consequences for motorists around the big rig, who are unfortunate enough to suffer the impact of falling ice and snow from the big rig, can be serious. Large slabs of ice falling off a semi could be not only heavy enough to cause vehicle damage, but also injury to drivers and passengers in these smaller cars.
As you may expect, the trucking industry has a problem with the rule, like they seem to do with just about any other legislation that aims to make motorists on the road safe from the special dangers these big rigs pose. They argue that it would simply take too much time to clean their large 18 wheelers of ice before a driver begins to operate the vehicle. Besides, they claim, Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules don’t allow drivers to climb aboard a 13-foot high 18 wheeler.
Bergen County truck accident lawyers like me have always been exasperated by the trucking industry's petulance every time any legislation that requires them to make the slightest effort to improve the safety of their vehicles, makes an appearance. Such behavior should not come in the way of this bill being passed. There are ways for the trucking fraternity to deal with the minor problems they may face enforcing any such legislation, and the industry should be making efforts to look at how they can best comply with these rules instead of complaining.
