Time, profits more important than lives

Seat-belt Iowa has always consistently been in the dirty top 10 states for having an above average number of its fatal crashes where heavy trucks are involved. This is a fact you won't hear in the regular news media. Check www.wrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811158.pdf.

Whenever there's a big rig and smaller vehicle crash, the victims of the smaller vehicle are dead so only the trucker's testimony will be heard. Can you even find any big rigs that are within the speed limit and within a proper speed for adverse conditions?

There has not been an increase in commercial vehicle enforcement personnel to properly enforce the laws. Rather, there is now a behind-closed doors plan to put the CVE personnel into State Patrol. I think the real scheme is to get rid of the little enforcement there is on big rigs. Some big money/big business interest knows the right officials in high places. Then they can say the state patrol numbers of personnel are up but it diverts enforcement away from heavy trucks.

At U.S. level, the safety advocates lobbied to mandate speed limitations devices on heavy commercial trucks, but that was shot down by big trucking interests. Time and profits are more important than the lives that are sacrificed. Big money/big business always win in the lawmaking system.

Herman Lenz

Sumner