Mazda Miatas on U.S. 129. Photo by Dread Pirate Jeff.
Known as The Tail of the Dragon, US 129 is a challenging road to drive under ideal circumstances. With 318 turns in 11-miles of two-lane, the dangers include blind corners, over-enthusiastic drivers, wildlife – and tractor-trailers. Now, thanks to an operational and safety review by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the odds of encountering a tractor-trailer sprawled across two lanes in a blind corner have been diminished, as commercial vehicles longer than 30-feet have been banned from the road.
Until its overexposure in the media, US 129 through Blount County in Tennessee and into North Carolina was one of the finest driving roads in the United States. Attracting sports car and sport bike owners from around the world, US 129 is as technical as any racetrack, and the ever-increasing number of visitors has brought with it an alarming accident rate.
A victim’s tale, in broken parts, on the Tree of Shame. Photo by Dread Pirate Jeff.
Per Tennessee DOT statistics, the 11.19 mile stretch of US 129 in Blount County has seen 204 crashes from 2010 to 2012, including six fatalities. While only one of these fatalities involved a tractor-trailer, the state does reference numerous non-fatal accidents involving large trucks; a frequent side effect of these crashes is the complete blockage of the road, often for hours, until the accident is investigated and cleared.
Hairpin corners often require tractor-trailer drivers to straddle both lanes, and incidents of larger trucks being high centered on the road’s crown are not unheard of. Many of the corners lack line of sight through the turn, meaning that unsuspecting drivers (or riders) won’t see a truck blocking the road until it’s too late to brake, particularly if excessive speed is a factor.
North Carolina already has restrictions on trucks using US 129 in place, which raises the question of how effective the Blount County, Tennessee, ban will be. Truckers relying on GPS data may still be routed to the road as the shortest distance between two points, and once committed to traveling the road’s length, there are no exits (or, for that matter, many turn offs large enough to accommodate a tractor trailer).
Signage, to be posted in mid-January, may help, but those driving the road will still need to exercise caution. Whether it’s a deer standing mid-lane, a patch of oil from an earlier crash or an errant (and now-illegal) truck, the Dragon has a way of surprising even the most experienced travelers.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/12Mv5wh
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