Devastating Crash in Florida on I-75

After having a rather eventful weekend in Tampa for the Gasparilla celebration, I had a friend visiting from Atlanta and he left bright and early Sunday morning around 10 a.m. to head back home. After speaking to him again at 4 p.m., I was baffled to find out he was not only still in Florida, he had just passed Gainesville in a very confusing detour off I-75 through side roads, then eventually back on the interstate. My curiosity got me wondering and I began scouring Google to find out what the holdup was. Then I saw the pictures…

One of the most horrible things that can happen on a highway happened early yesterday morning. Living in Florida, and more importantly Gainesville for many years, the crash hits very close to home. The wreck happened after a long line of cars and trucks collided before dawn Sunday on a stretch of Interstate 75 south of Gainesville. The highway was closed Saturday night because of blinding fog and smoke that caused a three-way crash, and then reopened before the chain collisions started around 3:45 a.m. Never have I seen anything quite like the photos. At least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flames. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of these crash victims.

Read the story here:

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/jan/30/1/i-75-pileup-witness-it-looked-like-the-end-of-the--ar-352882/

Driving and Talking on a Cell Phone

Most of us do it. Your phone rings and despite obvious safety concerns, you just can’t help but answer it. You rationalize your actions. What if it’s important? … I mean let’s be honest, 99% of the time it isn’t. It could have waited the 20-30 minutes it would have taken you to drive to your destination and call them back. But most of us can’t resist the urge to answer. Personally, I always answered, but I have Bluetooth. Huge difference.

Well the FMCSA recently came out with a law similar to what they have in California stating that you can no longer talk and drive if you’re in a semi-truck. It’s against the law. Personally, I think this is a fantastic law! How many times have you fumbled your phone trying to answer it before it goes to your voicemail? You bend down to grab it and CRASH! You swerve off the road and hit a pole. While that may not happen every time, it happens enough to raise concerns.

The FMCSA released an updated FAQ today on its new handheld mobile telephone ban to clarify that the use of the push-to-talk function on mobile phones is permitted, under certain limited conditions. Drivers can use their cell phones as long as they don’t have to physically hold the phone while driving. To me this makes perfect sense. There are so many car crashes every year; maybe removing handheld cells from the equation will make a difference. Happy Driving J

Reed All About It!: Some Interstate Speed Limits May Increase

Reed All About It!: Some Interstate Speed Limits May Increase

Some Interstate Speed Limits May Increase

If you've ever driven on the interstate anywhere, you see huge semi-trucks. They are very large and most drivers have a hard time seeing around them. Personally, I don’t like to drive next to them at all and I will most certainly panic if I find myself in the center lane sandwiched between two of them. It’s not that I believe that truck drivers are poor drivers, I would just feel nervous in such a small car when compared to a 18-wheeler. I more than understand the importance of shipping freight all over the country and realize that these drivers have a very important job. But on the other hand, is it safe for anyone is they are zooming by other cars going 70 or 80 miles an hour?

Although I’ve never personally drive a vehicle that large, I can imagine it would be rather difficult to control a truck at higher speeds. Well, legislature in two Ohio counties feel they should increase the speed limit on I75 in Butler and Warren counties. They want to increase it to 70 mph from 65 mph. To me, this raises some safety questions. And even if semi-truck drivers agree with me and maintain their 65 mph speed, or if they have a truck that actually prevents them from driving faster, the other vehicles on the road will now most likely push the speed limit even more and travel 75 mph or even 80 mph. I think this is just a bad idea for everyone on the road. The article I read said accidents on Interstate 75 in Butler and Warren counties dropped from 1,052 in 2009 to 880 in 2010. Things are looking better! Why would someone want to risk the numbers jumping back up?? 65 mph is plenty fast to get where you’re trying to go while maintaining an certain amount of safety.

Read the full article here.

Introduction – ME!

Hello Blogosphere! I’m Kristina, a 24-year old from Tampa, Fla. I went to the University of Florida and bleed orange and blue – Go Gators! About a year ago I took a job at a trucking company and have become very passionate about the transportation industry. It is integral in every aspect of our lives. If you’re using a product or eating something, a truck brought it to you! My hopes is to create a blog dedicated to the every changing industry to keep people informed and up-to-date on important changes and trends. I hope you all enjoy