According to media reports, VDOT acted after concerns about design flaws were raised and they performed their own internal investigations, which found unsatisfactory results.NASHVILLE, Tenn. The department took action amid concerns the products might fail in a head on crash. TDOT Commissioner John Schroer authored a letter to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on April 4, 2017, notifying the department of the state’s inability to receive satisfactory installation information from the manufacturer and that the device is resulting in unacceptable safety levels.Įarlier this year, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) also began the process of removing and replacing guardrail end terminals with similar designs and materials to the “X-Lite” system involved in Hannah Eimers’ case. Since the time of the crash, TDOT has moved forward with contracting for the removal of a majority of the same guardrails that are currently in place. Just two weeks prior to Hannah Eimers’ accident, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) had decided to stop contracting for the “X-Lite” guardrails. Despite hitting the device, the truck continued for another 168 feet before coming to a stop. His vehicle struck an “X-Lite” guardrail end terminal, which pierced the cab, impaling and killing Jansen. In another incident, George Jansen, a motorist from Kansas was driving to a work meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, last February when his Chevy Silverado left Interstate 70 in rural Missouri for unknown reasons. The “X-Lite,” and similarly designed devices, have been responsible for at least seven other deaths around the nation, according to recent news reports. Since Hannah’s tragic accident, her father, Stephen Eimers, has become an outspoken advocate for the removal of “X-Lite” guardrails, the system responsible for Hannah’s death. Instead of re-directing the car, the mechanism penetrated the driver’s seat area, killing Hannah instantly. Hannah Eimers, a 17-year-old teen originally from Fredonia, was killed in a November 2016 traffic accident in Tennessee when her vehicle left Interstate 75, crossed into the median and struck the guardrail end terminal. Senator Young has also authored a letter to the State Department of Transportation requesting information on the number of “X-Lite” guardrails in use and their locations throughout the state. The bill advanced out of the Senate’s Transportation Committee this week.
Senator Young has introduced legislation, Senate Bill 5427, which would remove “X-Lite” guardrail products from the list of eligible types of materials used for guardrails in New York State, ban “X-Lite” and similarly designed products from being installed in the future, and requires that any existing “X-Lite” guardrail products be replaced. I have requested that DOT compile a comprehensive inventory of the amount and locations where ‘X-Lite,’ and similarly designed systems, have been installed and I will be passing my bill to take corrective action,” Senator Young said. If a product has known deficiencies, we should take action to replace it and make sure municipalities and the state do not continue investing in the technology. “Banning the use of this design will improve safety while honoring Hannah’s memory. When I spoke with Stephen Eimers earlier this week, he expressed frustration that the unsafe guardrails remain approved for use in New York State and I assured him that we are continuing the fight so that other families do not experience the same type of heartbreaking tragedy that befell his daughter, Hannah,” said Senator Catharine Young. Nevertheless, I am forging ahead with my legislation to permanently ban ‘X-Lite,’ and similarly designed products, from use in New York State and requiring that any existing defective systems be replaced immediately. “It is a major step in the right direction that the State Department of Transportation has removed the ‘X-Lite’ guardrail system from the list of approved products for use along New York’s roadways. Statement from Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I- 57th District) on the New York State Department of Transportation’s (DOT) temporary removal of the X-Lite guardrails from the list of approved products
0 kommentar(er)
