SCORES OF Everett residents narrowly escaped injury or death earlier this month when 9,400 gallons of gasoline from an overturned tanker truck ignited and surged like a river of fire through their densely settled neighborhood. Some residents who lost their homes and vehicles attributed their survival to plain luck. Others sensed the hand of a higher power. Lucky breaks and blessings, however, do not make a prevention plan.
The truck driver who crashed in the rotary connecting routes 16 and 99 has been cited for speeding. But even cautious truck drivers routinely accelerate through and exit rotaries at high speeds. And the ride is a lot scarier when older model trucks lacking the latest safety features are hauling flammable fluids or compounds. Each year, about 1,200 tanker trucks roll over in the United States. It's enough to keep public safety officials awake at night, especially in places like Everett that host or lie in close proximity to fuel depots.
In the 1980s, local cities and towns picked up limited power to impose local controls on traffic. But state Senator Anthony Galluccio of Cambridge argues that municipalities need more muscle to prevent or minimize tanker truck accidents. Galluccio, whose district includes Everett, is crafting a sensible bill that would provide municipalities with the option to bar trucks carrying flammable materials from rotaries provided a reasonable alternative route is available nearby.
Rotaries are often given high marks for safety by traffic engineers, at least when compared with the potential for broadside accidents that can occur at four-way intersections. But anyone with driving experience in Massachusetts can attest that heavily used rotaries present drivers with complex challenges. Why add flammables to that mix unnecessarily?
The threat to commerce might outweigh safety concerns if local officials were given a free rein to ban tanker trucks. But the legislation, modeled on a New York law, wisely puts the power to approve any prohibition in the hands of the Massachusetts Highway Department. Overzealousness on the part of local officials is also held in check by the state's sole authority to set speed limits and regulate the use of heavy commercial vehicles on the roadways.
Outmoded equipment may also explain the Everett accident. The tank, says Galluccio, "broke open like a paper bag." He is drafting a second bill that applies strict liability for personal injury and property damages arising from the transportation of flammable materials. Trucking companies may howl. But the public is likely to have little sympathy unless the industry adopts stricter safety measures for their vehicles, such as stronger tanks and the latest anti-rollover devices.
Everyone survived the Everett blaze. But excuses perished.
