New technology aimed to make 18-wheelers safer — using radar, cameras and reflective light scanning — is sweeping the industry.
The pairing of tractor-trailers at a distance of 30 to 50 feet is called platooning – it’s safe and saves money.
“One reason this matters to people who don’t drive tractor-trailers is found in the annual crash-death numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Of the 4,317 people who died in crashes involving large trucks last year, 72 percent of them weren’t in trucks, but rather passenger cars. An additional 11 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, roadway workers or police officers standing beside the highway, according to statistics released this month.”
Read more of the original article at The Washington Post.
