At a tunnel in Pennsylvania, an overheight/overwidth warning system improved safety; occasional crashes demonstrate value of system and importance of maintenance.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
CVO/Freight and ITS Session (Presentation)
Summary Information
This conference presentation provided an overview of several ITS technologies that improve safety for commercial vehicles operating in rural areas.
Overheight/Overwidth Warning Systems
Installation of overheight/overwidth warning systems enhance truck safety; however, driver perception and compliance with height-restriction warning systems should be considered prior to deployment. At the Squirrel Hill tunnel in Pennsylvania, one driver ignored warnings given by the system (January 11, 2001) and another assumed their truck would fit in the tunnel at a time when the system was inactive due to mechanical problems (April 2, 2006). These experiences demonstrated the value of the systems when warnings are heeded, and the importance of maintenance to assure proper performance.
