I-95 collapse in Philadelphia: Highway hazmat accidents on the rise
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- From the look of the images of black smoke and the gaping hole in the interstate, you might think Sunday's I-95 collapse in Philadelphia was a freak accident. However, a CBS News investigation found hazmat road accidents in the U.S. have more than doubled in the past decade.
Over the last 10 years, the number of big rig accidents involving hazardous materials has increased by 155%. According to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in the last decade, there have been 52 fatalities and 160 injuries due to hazmat incidents involving tractor-trailers in transit.
With Philly's dense population, parts of I-95 are among the busiest stretches of highway in the country.
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"We don't recognize that driving down these roads, we're driving next to one the most dangerous things that can be produced," Timothy Boyce, the head of emergency management in Delaware County, said last month. "If you're cutting off a truck or tailgating, or you think you want to challenge that truck, think of the consequences you may have for your family and others."
According to PHMSA data, hazardous materials such as nitric acid, sodium chlorate, batteries, and compressed gas have led to 17 Philadelphia highway fires – about one every three years – since 1974. Just five of those have happened since 1997, and Sunday's incident was the city's first highway fire caused by gasoline since 1984.
Drivers are found to be at fault in nearly one in five hazmat crashes. A variety of safety technology is available, such as cameras, lane assistance, rollover prevention, and automatic braking. It's not known how many smaller trucking companies can afford measures like these, and a CBS News investigation found there's no federal mandate for companies to put them in place despite NTSB recommendations.
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Hazmat accidents on the road have cost about $512 million over the last 10 years.