It took the tragic death of a UW professor to close this trucking safety loophole

The logging truck, quite simply, had been massively overloaded. It wasn’t the first time this trucking company—and this trucker—had been caught overloading their logging trucks. But one day, on a scenic road in the Olympic Peninsula, the overloaded truck lost its cargo. The logs fell off the trailer, and struck a car. A University of Washington professor and his passenger suffered tragic deaths. It’s worth repeating: this was not the first time this trucking company—and this trucker—were caught with an overloaded truck. Even though both the company and the driver had been cited for multiple violations, they were still on the road. This was a terrible crash, and a devastating loss for so many people. After the overloaded truck crash: tragedy

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Cops are driving distracted – and it’s really dangerous

At any giving time, a police officer could be responding to a call, checking the in-dash computer – and driving a car. Officers are trained to multitask behind the wheel, but how well does that work? Washington State Distracted Driving Simulator Washington State University in Spokane set up a distracted driving simulation for police officers. The officers were tasked with: Driving 55 miles per hour; Staying in their own traffic lane; Avoiding obstacles; And keeping a 100-foot distance from a car with an erratic driver. Researchers measured eye movements and reaction time as officers performed common job tasks, liking reading from their onboard computers. “What we’re trying to do is both identify what impairs police officers or interferes with

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Here’s why an oversized truck needs a permit in Seattle

It could have been much, much worse. Last week, an oversized load on a flatbed semi-truck struck a bridge in Seattle. The truck was on bottom ramp, heading south on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. If you’re not familiar with the Viaduct, here’s what it looks like from the side. The oversized load was on the lower bridge. The driver of the oversized truck hit the bridge supports with his load of giant metal spools. The spools were about 12 feet in diameter, and 700-1000 pounds each, according to Seattle Police Department. One of the spools was tilted against the side rail, above the street below. If the spools had fallen, or the bridge cracked, the results could have been catastrophic. A Trucker’s

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How did a Seattle cabbie steal a $164,000 from an elderly woman – with state investigators watching?

Last week, King County prosecutors filed charges against 56-year-old David G. Money for stealing from an elderly nursing home patient. The two met when Mr. Money picked her up as a fare a few years ago. Since then, the woman has written $164,000 in checks to Mr. Money, and another $90,000 in suspicious checks to herself. The Seattle PI story has more details, but the timeline raises a lot of questions. 1. Nearly 2 years ago, a Chase bank employee flagged the elderly woman’s account when Money brought her in and tried to cash out $98,000. 2. The employee held up the transaction, and reported it to Washington elder abuse investigators. They started looking into the matter in November 2012.

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In Seattle, sunshine + construction = pedestrian danger

This time of year is beautiful in Seattle. Warm weather and clear skies mean more pedestrians, as Seattleites hit the streets for fresh air and exercise. Meanwhile, Seattle is in the midst of a big construction boom. You don’t have to walk far to see a new apartment building going up, or one of the dozen or so massive cranes parked downtown. Construction is dangerous. Developers are allowed to shut down a sidewalk in front of a construction project. The closure should be brief and have a clear purpose. There should be a safe, convenient route around the job site. But that doesn’t always happen. Signs around projects aren’t clear, and people don’t know where to walk; A closure starts

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Be Safe in Washington

The summer months are upon us. Travel upon our highways will increase as families travel to visit relatives or go on vacations to campgrounds, historic sites or other fun locations. With summer highway travel safety is a major concern and must to the focus of both the driver, as well as, passengers. Don’t be distracted with cell phone use. Texting and use of cellular phones while driving is a major cause of accidents and injuries. Just don’t use your cellular phone while operating a motor vehicle. Be alert to dangers on the highway, don’t speed unnecessarily and operate within the rules of the road.

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It took the tragic death of a UW professor to close this trucking safety loophole

Cops are driving distracted – and it’s really dangerous

Here’s why an oversized truck needs a permit in Seattle

How did a Seattle cabbie steal a $164,000 from an elderly woman – with state investigators watching?

In Seattle, sunshine + construction = pedestrian danger

Be Safe in Washington

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