TowForce Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I do not know that I want to get into all the hype surrounding the April 8th Total Solar Eclipse. However, we do want to take a moment to ensure that companies are aware of the increased hazards that exist during such events. I would highly recommend keeping trucks off the roadways for the very few minutes this solar event occurs in your area. Why you ask, because distracted driving increases as this is just one more factor we have to be aware of. In this article, a 33 percent increase in fatal accidents was recorded for the solar eclipse in 2017. It's only for a few minutes. Awareness of this Hazard should be considered an accident prevention period. ARTICLE: Motorists may need to brace themselves for travel surrounding the upcoming April 8 total solar eclipse, as research has found that fatal collisions increased during the last eclipse that darkened U.S. skies. There was a 31 percent rise in fatal traffic accidents during the 2017 total eclipse and in the days before and after it, according to a new research letter published this week in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. This was attributed primarily to an influx of people driving across the country to get a glimpse of the eclipse, the researchers say. The 2017 eclipse, which occurred on August 21, passed southeast from the Pacific Northwest down through South Carolina, while the 2024 eclipse will begin in Texas and pass over the Midwest and New England. "For the eclipse on April 8th, totality will last for a maximum of 4 minutes and 27 seconds, although this will depend on where within the path someone is viewing it from. The duration of totality will vary slightly between the pacific coast of Mexico and Newfoundland in Canada," Ryan Milligan, a lecturer in astrophysics at Queen's University Belfast told Newsweek. "However, as the moon's shadow is circular, it will also depend on how close one is to the center of the path. The closer to the middle, the longer it will be." The area of totality in 2017 was only around 70 miles wide, but the researchers found that road traffic fatality rates increased from an average of 7.9 per hour during the weeks before and after to 10.3 per hour on average in the three days spanning the eclipse. "The 2017 total solar eclipse was widely anticipated because the path of totality (locations experiencing a total eclipse) fell within 300 miles of driving distance for a third of all individuals in the US. An estimated 20 million people in the US traveled away from home to another city to view the eclipse, resulting in substantial road traffic," the authors wrote in the paper. "We hypothesized that the eclipse was associated with increased risks of a fatal traffic crash." You can read the rest of the story here. https://www.newsweek.com/solar-eclipse-traffic-collisions-danger-warning-1883715 If you made it this far in this topic, can you reply if you are in the direct path of the total eclipse? Is awareness a concern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooresbp Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 we are in the 80 - 90 coverage 1 Quote George - - Moore's BP We'll see you on down the road Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdsTowing Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I never knew of the increased dangers honestly... We are in the 90% area, about 3 hrs from the total eclipse area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowForce Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Yes Ed, the danger is real and this is the reason I am encouraging Tow Operators to stay off the roadways during this short solar event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 When the eclipse went near here, people drove crazy. The roads they were on weren't design for the amount of traffic. Getting into areas of the crashes were tough. most of this end of Wyoming were on Highway 191 coming back down from Jackson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 Thanks and none of our drivers will be on the side of the roadway during the eclipse. We are also expecting the traffic around that time to be quite heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowForce Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 Now for most of us, there is increased traffic flow. Having viewed the Solar Eclipse many are heading back from where they came. Has anyone noticed an increase in accidents? It seems there was plenty of light almost everywhere and total darkness. So for many, it was business as usual but being aware and using precautions is always best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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