The number of fatal truck accidents is on the rise and experts say that the tires are partly to blame.
Between 2009 and 2013, 223 road fatalities have been blamed on truck tires, and as speed limits rise, that number is likely to increase.
Truck Tires Not Designed For Excessive Highway Speed
A recent report from the NHTSBÂ revealed that most truck tires are not designed to withstand speeds greater than 75 m.p.h. and absolutely no tires are designed to go more than 82 m.p.h. Driving faster than 75 m.p.h. on a regular basis generates more heat than the tire can handle, causing blowouts and potentially deadly accidents.
Speed Limits In Some States Exceed 85 M.P.H.
14 states have speed limits higher than 75 m.p.h., and experts say some of those states raised the speed limit without taking proper advice from the tire industry. When you can travel 80 m.p.h. in states like South Dakota (which just raised the speed limit Wednesday, April 1) and 85 m.p.h. through parts of Texas, this is could spell disaster for truck drivers and other motorists on the highways.
A note of hope? According to the American Trucking Association, as of 2007 Â 69% of trucking companies had governors installed on their trucks keeping speeds to an average of 69 m.p.h. That number has likely risen.
The three states that allow trucks to travel 80 m.p.h.? Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Source:
KCCI 8
Keloland TV
Minneapolis Star Tribune