CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In what was described as a coordinated effort to increase safety for the traveling public, the West Virginia Parkways Authority, the Public Service Commission and the West Virginia State Police announced Tuesday that they will dedicate an additional full-time patrol unit to intercepting potential hazards involving tractor-trailers on the West Virginia Turnpike.
The unit will perform safety inspections, and issue citations to drivers of commercial motor vehicles for speeding and for having defective equipment while driving on the turnpike. PSC spokesperson Susan Small told MetroNews the unit’s function will be specific, and targeted toward certain types of violations.
“They watch for vehicles that are not operating in a safe manner, such as an unsecured load (or) if they don’t appear to be braking appropriately…it just gives a higher awareness to the truck drivers that the Public Service Commission is out there and looking for unsafe vehicles,” she said.
Small noted that there has been a dramatic increase in accidents on the turnpike involving tractor-trailers over the past 4 years, although that increase includes incidents that were not the fault of the truck driver.
“Oftentimes, you’ve got a car that thinks it can jump out in front of you, and a tractor-trailer takes a much longer time to come to a stop then a sedan would, so there needs to be increased awareness, not only by the truck drivers but those that are driving around the trucks,” said Small.
In 2013, there were 58 accidents involving commercial vehicles on West Virginia roads, resulting in 34 injuries and one fatality. In 2017, there were 120 such accidents resulting in 71 injuries and nine fatalities. A similar increase has occurred nationwide, according to numbers released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The additional officer is expected to be in place within the next few weeks, in advance of an expected increase in holiday traffic. The Parkways Authority will be responsible for the salary and cost of the vehicle used by the new patrol unit. The officer will be certified and trained by the Transportation Division of the Public Service Commission.