BS69
115820-1

By Senator Means

RFD: Industrial Development and Recruitment

First Read:  12-Jan10

Synopsis:    This bill would require the use of a safety device to connect a trailer to a motor vehicle.

This bill would provide penalties for a violation of this act.

Current Law:

55-7-114. Safety chains for trailers — Penalty — Exceptions. —

(a)  In addition to any other attachment, any trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer operated on the highways of Tennessee shall be attached to the towing vehicle by a chain, securely attached to both vehicles, and reasonably capable of maintaining the attachment in the event of failure by any other attachment device.

(b)  The responsibility for providing safety chains for trailers rented, leased, or loaned to farmers by persons customarily doing so for the haulage of farm supplies or crops shall be with the person so renting, leasing, or loaning the trailer.

Oklahoma Statutes Citationized

Title 47. Motor Vehicles

Chapter 12 – Equipment of Vehicles

Article 4 – Other Equipment

Section 12-405.1 – Coupling Device for Trailer, Semitrailer

Manufactured Home or Towed Motor Vehicle

Cite as: 47 O.S. 12-405.1 (OSCN 2009)

DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY

Department of Public Safety and Correction

Office of State Police

Safety  Devices for Trailers

(LAC 55:I.2323)

Safety Sentry is a safety trailer hitch lock system designed to prevent trailer detachment in any form whether it be by theft or accident while driving. Safety Sentry inc. is a premier supplier of the new Safety Sentry hitch lock that is currently required in some states due to state-mandated trailer hitch laws. Safety Sentry provides trailer lock safety for all types of towing hitches used for towing trailers on state and local highways. They specialize in safeguarding against accidents through the Safety Sentry Hitch Lock. This trailer lock works on horse trailers, camping trailers, used trailers, RV trailers, cargo trailers and more. If you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Arlington, Richmond or anywhere else in Virginia, now is the time to buy. The state of Virginia just passed a law requiring the use of a device like the Safety Sentry.  The Department of Transportation, or Federal Highway Administration, published a report in 1994 detailing the statistics of trailer-related accidents. With a cost of fatality per incident of $2,600,000; United States statistics shows that for the previous 30 years the cost involving fatalities directly related from trailers towed by passenger vehicles to be $39,554,060,000. Using the lowest cost of injury ($5000) with 461,726 incidents reported from 1988 to 1994 totals $2,308,630,000. Using the lowest cost of property damage ($2000) with 814,165 incidents during the same period totals 1,628,300,000. Keep in mind that this report was published in 1994; if you factor in inflation and another 16 years the numbers are much, much higher.