An unhappy county council member is suggesting a law in the state of Washington that would hold truck drivers accountable when tractor-trailers hit highway bridges.
King County Council member Reagan Dunn has even given the proposed regulation a name. He calls it the Stupid Motorist Law, and it comes after several recent bridge strikes in the western part of the state.
Such strikes can cost millions of dollars to repair, according to Dunn.
Dunn suggests steeper fines or penalties for over-height violations and repeat offenders. He’s also said truckers ought to be held responsible for damages to public infrastructure.
“This isn’t just another car accident [and] we gotta stop treating it like another car accident. It’s a serious economic harm and a harm to taxpayers,” Dunn told KING 5. “If we don’t put something like this in place, it’s going to keep happening.
“It’s not just about an operator or driver making a stupid choice, it’s that the damage creates economic wreckage.”
In the past, several Eastern states have made efforts to reduce the number of trucking-related bridge accidents by increasing warning systems, calling on online map providers to warn truckers of low bridges, and increasing enforcement and fines.
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