WACO, Texas (KXXV) — It has been more than a week since a 17-car pileup in North Austin left five people dead and 11 injured, after a truck driver slammed into stopped traffic while allegedly under the influence. Now, concerns are rising over the growing number of deadly 18-wheeler crashes.
"The problem is, these accidents don’t surprise me,” Steven Howard, a longtime truck driver and CDL instructor, said.
"That’s the scary thing about it — with the current standards that we have in training and truck driving, these are going to continue to happen and get worse if there’s not reform in the industry."
This crash is the latest in a string of deadly truck-related incidents on I-35 in Central Texas this year. In January, a Lorena mother died in a fiery wreck near Waco. According to police, a truck driver was speeding and lost control, causing the crash.
"You’ve got these people out here that don’t care. They don’t care about themselves — they don’t care about the value of human life. We are putting them out here on the roadways with minimal training. It's a recipe for disaster," Howard said.
Sgt. Bryan Washko, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit is working hard to regulate dangerous drivers. He added that their efforts have resulted in putting many unsafe drivers out of service.
"Unfortunately, it's a reality in my line of work. We never get used to seeing them [crashes]. We do our best to prevent them, but we know the people whose lives are taken — that’s somebody’s family," Washko said.
Both Washko and Howard agreed that the key to preventing these deadly accidents is having properly trained, responsible, and cautious drivers behind the wheel.
"I’m hoping that the FMCSA stands up with common-sense regulations in these matters. Not something that burdens the people who are doing right, but something that cracks down on the companies and individuals that are doing wrong," Howard said.
