TRUCK WRECK TIE-UPS TARGETED
By Julie Poppen

Rocky Mountain News, CO

September 11, 2007

Stricter chain laws, more troopers will address I-70 woes

Truck-related accidents that shut down Interstate 70 in Summit and
Clear Creek counties have more than doubled over the past three years,
according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The CDOT analysis of highway closure data has prompted plans for seven
new state troopers to patrol the busy stretch of highway this snow
season and expectations that new chain laws will help curb the trend.

There were 151 incidents between September 2006 and April 2007
involving tractor-trailers – jackknifed trucks, truck crashes,
trucks without chains – that resulted in all or part of I-70 being
closed. The closures lasted the equivalent of 5 1/2 days, or 130 hours.

Those numbers compare with 60 incidents involving tractor- trailers
resulting in highway closures for 61 hours, or 2 1/2 days, during
the same eight-month period in 2004-2005.

"We had a really wicked winter," CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said
of the 2006-07 figures. "We did have a lot of semis that weren’t
chaining up. State Patrol law enforcement – especially during that
time of year – is spread so thin they can’t enforce the rules."

New chain laws that went into effect Sept. 1 toughen penalties and
require all commercial vehicles to carry chains when traveling I-70
between Edwards and Golden from September through May, she said.

"(Last year) was a record year for road closures on I-70, which impacts
our economy," Stegman said. "The new chain laws are really important."

However, Stegman said just because a tractor-trailer was involved in
a crash doesn’t mean it was the truck driver’s fault.

That was a point reiterated by Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado
Motor Carriers Association, who said passenger vehicle drivers often
cause the crashes.

"People either try to enter onto the highway and don’t judge the
speed of a truck, or evidently think we can stop on a dime like a
sports car," Fulton said.

Fulton also pointed out that commercial freight traffic is increasing
nationwide.

However, average daily traffic at the Eisenhower Tunnel increased
only 7 percent from 2004 to 2006, according to CDOT.

Weather and speeding remain critical factors in mountain crashes and
other highway-closing incidents.

"You really have to watch your speed," Colorado State Patrol Trooper
Ryan Sullivan said. "You’ve got to be aware of the grade. You have
to practice safe driving habits – both trucks and cars."

Tractor-trailer-related incidents weren’t the only cause for closures
in the bustling stretch of I-70 that is popular with tourists and
winter sports enthusiasts.

Personal motor vehicle crashes along I-70 in Summit and Clear Creek
counties climbed 60 percent over three years, from 58 from September
2004 through April 2005 to 93 for that same period ending in 2007.

The motor vehicle wrecks resulted in all or part of the highway being
closed for 163 hours last year, up from 109 hours two years earlier.

There were also strictly weather-related highway closures.

The net result?

I-70 was either entirely or partially closed in Clear Creek and Summit
counties for 374 hours last year – or the equivalent of 15 1/2 days.

Commuter Arthur Mazmand-yan can attest to the headaches that
caused. The Armenian-born Thornton man manages the Western Convenience
Store in Idaho Springs.

"Two or three times it happened I couldn’t get to work," he said.

What’s changed

Increased fines are part of Colorado’s revised chain law, now in
effect.

~U The law: Originally enacted 11 years ago, it applies to all
state, federal and interstate highways in Colorado. Under the law,
a commercial vehicle is defined as being used in commerce to transport
passengers or property.

~U What changed: All commercial vehicles operating on I-70 between
Edwards and Golden must carry sufficient chains to comply with the
law from Sept. 1 through May 31.

~U The fine: For not carrying chains is $50, plus a surcharge; for not
chaining up when the chain law is in effect is $500 (up from $100),
with a surcharge; for not chaining up and subsequently blocking the
highway is $1,000 (up from $500), plus a surcharge.

The new surcharges have not yet been determined.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress