Currently, the posted maximum speed on the Will Rogers Turnpike is 75 mph. If passed, Garrison’s bill would reduce the maximum legal speed for commercial drivers from 75 mph to 65 mph.
On Friday, June 26, 2009 nine lives were lost on Oklahoma’s Will Rogers Turnpike, with one more to follow days later in a Missouri hospital.
Truck driver Donald Creed, 76, was working the tenth hour of his shift when he failed to brake in time and hit stopped traffic. His mistake caused a pileup and several cars received the brunt of the crash. He is charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of negligent homicide.
Oklahoma authorities are calling this accident the most severe in their state history. In response to the related loss, anger and sadness, a call for change has come up that aims to improve traffic safety on Oklahoma highways.
Representative Earl Garrison is heading the movement and has introduced Senate Bill 1317, which would change maximum speed laws for commercial drivers.
Currently, the posted maximum speed on the Will Rogers Turnpike is 75 mph. If passed, Garrison’s bill would reduce the maximum legal speed for commercial drivers from 75 mph to 65 mph.
Whether the bill will pass depends on future debate. There are people and industries that argue that changes in speed laws have insignificant effects on actual driver behavior. Questions also surround the hypothesis that safety is sufficiently increased due to lower speed maximums.
Police report that Creed was actually driving 70 mph in the 75 mph zone. Without downplaying the severity of Creed’s actions, even if he had been driving 5 mph slower, the amount of damage caused would likely have still been severe.
It was not Creed’s speed that killed the victims, but rather his inattentive driving.
Some also argue it is unsafe to set lower speed laws for commercial drivers, arguing that when vehicles travel at different speeds it increases the likelihood of accidents. Although school bus drivers are bound by Oklahoma law to drive no faster than 65 mph on turnpikes, bus drivers are paid differently than commercial truck drivers.
Truckers like Creed are paid based on expected miles traveled in a given time. Slowing them down, therefore, would mean financial loss for drivers and their employer.
There is no easy answer to the questions brought up by the Will Rogers Turnpike tragedy. The desire to come up with a fix-it to prevent future similar incidents is a natural urge, But whether the answer the answer lies in Senate Bill 1317 has yet to be determined.
If you have been involved or injured in an auto accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney in your area. A lawyer can evaluate your case and explain your legal options so you can move forward with your life as quickly and painlessly as possible.
