Like 'bumper cars': Fatal turnpike collision causes 50-car accident

[alp227]

Source: The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA)

A chain accident involving 50 cars and one fatality Sunday afternoon has shut down the westbound section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Downingtown and Morgantown.

A driver, whose identity has not been released, was involved in a one-vehicle accident while heading west when their vehicle slid and crashed just after snow started falling around 12:30 p.m., said Carl DeFebo, turnpike spokesman. When the motorist got out of their vehicle after the acccident, they were hit by another vehicle and killed, DeFebo said.

A 12-car pile up occurred after the initial crash, which triggered two or three more accidents, and caused a number of fender benders, DeFebo said. There was one other unknown injury, and that person was transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to DeFebo.

“The accidents behind the fatality were minor in nature,” he said. “It truly was like bumper cars.”

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/12/like_bumper_cars_fatal_turnpik.html

[Kingofalldems]

1. The Pa. Turnpike is no place to be during a storm.

RIP to that driver.

[Cal Carpenter]

2. Indeed. I've been on that stretch in a bad snowstorm.

White knuckles. And I was driving an old rear-wheel drive pickup truck.

*shudder*

[heaven05]

10. I drove 18wheelers,steel.

The weight helped, but if it got loose, no saving it or anyone in the way. Thank god, I was always careful(white knuckle).

[MrScorpio]

3. It's no picnic in the pouring rain either

I've always hated going on the Turnpike in bad weather

[Kingofalldems]

4. I used to drive from Breezewood to the Bedford exit.

It was definitely nasty in any type of storm.

[MrScorpio]

5. I feel ya...

Breezewood was my entrance/exit too, in my trips between Detroit and Virginia

[AnnieBW]

7. Breezewood to Irwin is no picnic, either

I've been doing that trip way too many times lately because my Mother is in Pittsburgh and in poor health. I've hit snowstorms up around Somerset way too many times.

[Beacool]

6. Scary stuff pile ups.

I spoke with a friend in PA earlier when it still hadn't started in NJ. She said that she slid all the way home, although she has a 4 x 4 SUV. She said that the roads were terrible, very slippery. I parked my car earlier and won't move it again for a while.

May that driver rest in peace.

[PM Martin]

8. Out on the road during a winter storm does not end well.

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. That stretch just west of Philly

is a nightmare when it snows (or as is now, iced over)

RIP dear soul...

[Martak Sarno]

11. Bad Road Conditions? No problem...

...Just keep driving like you're on a NASCAR track!

You have questionable drivers who think they will never get hurt and who basically don't worry about hurting others through their actions. The vast majority actually may not be able to read, comprehend the meaning of that white rectangular sign on the edges of the road ever 800 feet or so or simply ignore it because it doesn't pertain to them. You know, the one that says the speed limit is 65 or whatever? So they run their cars as fast as they think they can get away with thinking they are invulnerable. Breaking this law isn't considered that bad because "everyone does it." But many of those with this attitude complain about those "other" people who break other laws. (Driving isn't that serious a law, everyone knows that!)

And now some moron from Pa. wants to introduce a bill to increase the speed limit from 65 to 70! Get on the Pa. turnpike in the left lane and go the speed limit (or just about any other road with a maximum posted speed limit) and you need a ramp over your car or the guy behind you who thinks he's on the Autobahn will ride your tail, which is also illegal and he knows it.

During bad conditions the majority of these clowns never take those conditions into account when driving. Again, THEY will never get hurt and if they do cause a problem, first off the insurance will take care of it and second they will feel badly. What's worse is the idiot in the 4-wheel drive who thinks he can drive in snow or rain like it's summer on a straight, car-less road.

When you follow a Pa. State Trooper on the turn pike or any of the other state roads with a posted maximum and that trooper is exceeding the speed limit, you have to wonder who really cares about people's safety. There are videos of it!

Meanwhile, drivers are tagged for illegal parking, un-inspected cars, faulty or burned out lights or dozens of other minor violations...to make driving "Safe!" Hell, cops don't even tag people for coasting through stop signs or not stopping on red to turn right. But those laws don't pertain, I guess. We need to worry more about whether a child is secured in a car or someone is wearing a seatbelt in a car that the same driver will then proceed to exceed the speed limit even with the child in the car. /s

I guess it's too much effort to pull over the cars that are exceeding the speed limit. Oh and the excuse that the cops didn't see the speeder, well most times that's bull. Kinda like watching a car leave a bar knowing the vast majority of the drivers have been drinking. Sadly you can't prove that without stopping them and the "law" currently says you can't "pre-suppose" a person is under the influence just because they left a bar. But to ignore speeders because everyone does it or there are just too many of them is dangerous.

Sorry fro the rant. Drivers who ignore traffic and road laws have no business complaining about people who break other laws.

[yellowcanine]

12. Need electronic speed limit signs on roads like that which adjusts speed limit for conditions.

And then enforce the limit with speed cameras and displays which give a readout of each car's speed. It would take a while, but eventually drivers would start slowing down. They already do this a lot of places in work zones and it is very effective.

[KamaAina]

13. The NJ Turnpike has those.

[hedgehog]

14. I'd love those! Nothing is worse than slowing down for conditions, then hoping

you don't get hit from behind!

I've seen this system in Germany where speed limits are adjusted to match traffic density as well as weather conditions. We had a white knuckle run on the NYS Thruway from Buffalo to Syracuse last Sunday - practically bumper to bumper the whole way, with three fender benders in the west bound lane causing backups in both directions. People slowed down when they saw the flashing lights ahead, and by the time they realized the lights are across the median, traffic was backed-up. There was even a back-up at the exit from the toll barriers.

New York desperately needs high speed rail!

[happyslug]

16. Enforce them by use of the car's computers

If the State wanted to crack down on speeding (as opposed to getting money from writing tickets) all it would have to do is adopt a policy that any new vehicle purchased in Pennsylvania must have a computer that can limit the speed of the car. Given all new cars today have computers in them, not that hard to do. In fact can be done by just changing the existing computer with one that can received a signal and restrict the speed of the car to that speed.

The state can then either set up transmitters along the road to transmit speed limits to the Computer (I would differently do this for school zones) OR use GPS,, GPS is accurate within a few feet thus permit higher speeds just before and after higher speeds limits are entered (and permit higher speeds for a few feet after the Vehicle has entered lower speed area). School Zones are so small, I would be more comfortable with signals across the highway that tells the computer limit is 15, till the Vehicle passes another such meter that permits higher speeds.

With modern computers not that hard to do. Yes older cars would NOT be so restricted, but once enough Vehicles are restricted, it will slow the older Vehicles down also. To make sure such system stays on the vehicle, every inspections should include looking at the computer to make sure it had not been played with.

In fact the price of the computer may be so low, it could be required that people have it retrofitted to their cars. This has NOT been done in the past, but if the Computer is Cheap enough could be done in the Future. Police may like this, for they could install a kill switch to the vehicle if it is stolen or involved in a high speed chase. Such a computer can do a lot of good.

From the State's point of view, this would be terrible, for it would keep everyone within the speed limit WITHOUT having to write tickets i.e. no income from writing tickets. Tickets pay for many police forces, and almost all of the Various State's State Police.

[hedgehog]

15. It's fun watching the 4 wheel drive cars speed past when conditions are bad -

and then seeing them off the road a 1/4 mile later! Around here, all a 4 wheel drive does is allow you to get further off the road before you get stuck! I commuted to Syracuse from the snow belt for 7 years with a Chevette. The only day road conditions kept me home it was impossible to see through the wind shield!

[happyslug]

18. I once told a young woman why she should drive slow in bad weather.

And it became clear she had NEVER been told why you drive slow. I have meet a lot of bad "Women Drivers" in my life, and such bad driving almost always goes back to how they were taught to drive (And then almost always by a bad male driver). The problem is NOT that they are women, but that they were NEVER properly taught.

Anyone, I told that woman the reason you drive slow is that you have more traction when you accelerate then when you hit the brakes. Thus the best way to get out of a skid is to hit the gas. The only way you can hit the gas is if you can, which means you should go slower then you think you can handle. Thus you have to drive slow so that if things get bad you can hit the gas and speed up.

It sounds wrong, but once you understand the physics it makes perfect sense. She had never heard anyone tell her WHY you drive slow and if you start to skid press the gas pedal not the brakes. Once told she understood why you drive slower then you can handle.

People forget four wheel drive is still a four wheel sled if it is on ice. The only thing good on ice are chains. Off road tires will slid as well as bald tires. The key is chains (then limit yourself to about 25 mph AND be prepared to take them on and off as you go from one ice patch to another OR studded tires (Which must be removed by April 1 of each spring, they do damage to hard pack roads). With Studs you can do faster the 25 mph, but they are NOT as good as Chains on ice. Both chains and studs increase roll resistance and thus decrease fuel mileage (or if you have studded tires on your bicycle, like I do in winter, increase roll resistance which means you have to use more power to the wheel to get it to move).

[Jerry442]

17. To drivers of 4WDs: 100% more acceleration when it's slippery than 2WDs. 0% more stopping power. nt