Better warning signs might have given motorists a better chance

A call for displays on same road that banned them ??

Tuesday, June 26, 2007


Although a Pennsylvania Turn pike spokesman declared Satur day's fatal crash near the Lancaster-Lebanon exit to be a "once-in-a-decade accident," in truth it was an accident waiting to happen.
Both east and west of the exit, vehicles were backed up considerable distances on the turnpike, as people flocked to the Celtic Fling at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. The turnpike anticipated the crush of attendees at the fling, held at the Mount Hope Estate and Winery just south of the exit, and had warning signs ahead of the exits. But they clearly were not enough to prevent an accident that claimed three lives and injured four other people.
The accident occurred when a tractor-trailer failed to heed the warnings of slow traffic ahead and plowed into the rear of an automobile, setting off a chain-reaction crash that would become engulfed in flames.
A State Farm-sponsored turnpike safety patrol vehicle provided valuable service by offering real-time information on an electronic billboard following the accident as it moved down the line of the growing backlog of traffic. The westbound lanes of the turnpike would not open for another nine hours.
State police numbers are arguably insufficient, but they often are present when highway construction is under way, with their lights flashing, serving as a warning with teeth. Likewise, given the avalanche of people seeking to attend the Celtic Fling and the ensuing backup on a highway with a 65-mph speed limit, there should have been state police vehicles with flashing lights at both ends of the backup, warning oncoming vehicles of the crawling traffic just ahead.
The turnpike also needs to upgrade its message system. Permanent electronic billboards would be appropriate in the approaches to exits that periodically receive traffic volumes heavy enough to push vehicles back on to the turnpike itself. More timely highway information also should be available to motorists at turnpike entrances.