The Los Angeles Times recently investigated the trail of lives taken by runaway tow-behind trailers.
The number of trailers in use on American highways and streets is rising, and there is no requirement that the driver have any special training to tow one. The
Times reports:
Runaway trailers are a little-known but persistent cause of devastating crashes, deaths and injuries across the country.
The government does not keep nationwide statistics on accidents caused
by trailer decouplings. But a Times review of news reports and court
files identified about 540 such crashes since 2000. They resulted in at
least 164 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Because some accidents aren't reported by news media or captured in
electronic archives, the numbers likely understate the frequency of
such incidents.
The story adds:
The accidents reviewed by The Times involved trailers of varying kinds
-- for hauling boats, horses, gardening equipment, household goods and
autos. A large majority were light-and medium-duty trailers, as
opposed to big rigs. Most were owned by individuals or businesses, a
small proportion by equipment-rental companies such as U-Haul
International Inc.
Many of the crashes stemmed from elementary mistakes, such as failing
to engage a locking device when hitching a trailer. Rarely was just one
blunder responsible. More often, drivers neglected a series of
precautions, any one of which might have prevented a tragedy.
"People are either ignorant of the way to properly connect a trailer,
or they're in a hurry and they don't want to take the time," said
Amann, Northern Regional police chief in Allegheny County, Pa.
Master Lock Co., which makes hitches and other towing equipment,
surveyed more than 300 trailer owners in 2006 and found that most were
"lacking in knowledge of basic safety and proper towing procedures, and
few have had any real training or instruction." Fewer than half
properly attached their trailer's safety chains, the survey found.
Adding to the risk is the growing number of trailers on the road. The
number of light-duty trailers registered in the U.S. rose from 10.6
million in 1990 to 15.9 million in 2005, according to the Federal
Highway Administration.
Some of those responsible for runaway-trailer crashes wind up in
prison, often with deep remorse. But enforcement rarely takes the form
of preventive action, such as citing motorists for towing substandard
trailers or failing to connect them properly. Police say it's not
practical to make routine vehicle stops to check trailer hookups.
In all 50 states, a basic driver's license is all that's needed to tow a small to medium-size trailer.
"There's no law enforcement program that requires a person towing a
trailer to have any special training," said Thomas Shelton, a former
accident investigations supervisor for the California Highway Patrol.
The result, he said, is "a lot of ignorance and carelessness."
