New 'blocking trailer' protecting Carrollton first responders

[@castrain1419]

The fact it is even needed is mind blowing!

[@demonking-pk3by]

drunk and distracted drivers for yea in 99.9% of cases for yea

[@heyheyjaytube]

Not really construction companies have had them for years most people don't slow down or pay attention I've had cones hit 6 feet from me at high speed

[@haphazard1342]

"Target fixation": people tend to drive where they look. Accident scenes are distracting -> people driving by look -> people drive into the accident scene.

[@sadayukinaga9363]

Well when it comes to Dallas yeah it’s needed. Hell even the DOT isn’t safe. I saw a car smash into one of their scorpion trucks that was working on the secondary split to i35 and I30

[@BentleyTypeR]

​@@demonking-pk3byyea

[@leeshaver7825]

I'm a retired tow truck operator from Southern California drove a tow truck for over 22 years many times I have had my truck hit and I've lost friends that have been hit but the fact that a department has to go out and purchase something like this because people drive the way they do is mind-blowing

[@largol33t12]

I think it's because too many idiots are worried about their goddamn cell phone texts to think about the fact that they're driving along the road in a TWO TON block of metal on wheels... This country continues down the drain of stupidity.

[@Rathmun]

Too many people believe that driving is a _right_ instead of a privilege. So the bar for getting and keeping a license just keeps sinking. Germany does plenty of dumb shit, just like any government, but their drivers license requirements are a gold standard. Driving school is _mandatory_ before you can even take the test, as is First Aid training, and failing any of the exams requires paying the fees again, so the overall cost varies, but it's $3300 on average. (the test apparently has a 28% failure rate) There's a _reason_ they have fewer accidents per vehicle-mile than the US despite higher speed limits and narrower lanes.

[@leeshaver7825]

@@Rathmun That's the problem here in the US at one time it was required that you take driver's ed in high school in order to graduate and they were very extensive in their driver's ed training then some politician got the bright idea that it was not cost-effective and they did away with it but there are other stupid things that I saw as a tow truck driver that make no sense like here in California if you get pulled over and your driver's license is suspended you can have your vehicle impounded for up to 30 days but if you're pulled over drunk you can go pick your car up the next morning as long as your buddy does the driving yeah there's a lot of things that just don't make sense

[@Rathmun]

@@leeshaver7825 I know. I'm old enough that I had to take drivers ed before getting a license. And yeah, driving drunk should be far more heavily penalized. Hell, licenses should state that they're only valid _while sober._ That way if you're caught driving drunk, you're automatically _also_ caught driving without a license.

[@duke1281]

Could be possibly state funded?.. 🤷‍♂️

[@6willis]

Excellent alternative to using a fire truck as a barrier. If the truck gets hit it’s expensive and takes it out of commission for who knows how long. This thing can take a lot of beating. I think it should probably have more flashing lights!

[@arkticzero3953]

Yeah, no coming back from this one lol: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4maqnyuraZlo9k

[@anthonyg13emergencyvideos]

agreed

[@johnlagrone5041]

Put 6 or 8 M9s or M6s down the side and hook them up to a traffic advisor flasher.

[@anthonyg13emergencyvideos]

@@johnlagrone5041 yup ! That would do it

[@DilliganGames]

Don't get me wrong, I think the person who hits it should always pay for repairs, but thats not always how our system works lol. More lights would be nice, maybe some reds/blues in there, but if someone can miss that they can miss anything anyway. I'd rather the money be put into more steel, more effective lol.

[@ewillson4953]

Road repair teams needs this in high volume traffic areas that will save many workers...worth it's weight in GOLD

[@nmelkhunter1]

Very true. The motoring public is one of the dangerous things around.

[@TheLukasDirector]

These are ubiquitous in Western Europe for that purpose already, albeit as a smaller rigid truck. Very useful.

[@voxxes3931]

Had a worker in my area get killed by a scorpion truck about 3 years ago, unfortunately they don't stop double 53'ers.

[@TheR00ndar]

@@TheLukasDirector They have those all over the US too, or at least the northeast.

[@larrycharles-dm2hs]

​@@nmelkhunter1 No, one of the dangerous things around is the government. They're corrupt.

[@penguins9645]

Hahaha, how do you not see that giant orange thing - it's over 60 feet long! I shouldn't be laughing, but some people's driving skills are just absurd. Respect to our first responders for putting themselves in harm's way.

[@timothywhieldon1971]

the same reasons accidents happen, BAD DRIVERS

[@dirtfarmer7472]

Don’t forget cellphones

[@timothywhieldon1971]

@@dirtfarmer7472 There are a few reports that show that cell phone use while driving often shows that the driver is paying MORE attention then normal driving, BUT at the cost of a second or 2 of eyes not on the road when it counts. Still bad though

[@TheReedsofEnki]

Hard to see the orange thing when you're shitposting on twatter.

[@davidscbirdsall]

People’s driving skills don’t scare me. It’s their reasoning skills that give me fear.

[@trackerrrr]

Now a law needs passed to make anyone who hits the barrier has to pay for repairs to the barrier. If you're distracted enough to hit a GIANT ORANGE TRAILER parked across the roadway, you need to pay up.

[@notjebkerman6207]

That already is how liability works, but nobody pays attention enough to enforce it.

[@kevincampbell7276]

This is something they need everywhere to help protect those first responders

[@josephtirado6506]

And construction crews

[@charlieecho7253]

As a first responder I was almost run over multiple times and I saw people actually crash and die after not slowing down for an accident that had already occurred and then hitting black ice. It’s sad that these barriers are necessary but people always think that they are too important for emergency lights and caution signs. These barriers with become normal soon.

[@carsonemerson9395]

DOT of Oregon has used these for road repairs and accidents for years. This is brilliant. Keep the brave men and wemon of the FD, MD, and PD safe!

[@TRG-u1p]

Props to Carrollton for protecting those that protect us! Awesome to see this out there!

[@Iowa599]

It should be covered in spikes, so people who are dumb enough to hit it don't continue hitting things.

[@gobblegoblin]

Lmao

[@feroze_bangla]

TDOT uses a similar but shorter vehicle to protect its field crew. I am liking this longer version more than the short ones, I must say. Shorter ones take direct hit, needs repair afterwards. This one will require much less maintenance from that perspective.

[@jeeper360]

Looks like it has good warning for the lane the rear is in but needs better lighting for the rest of the trailer blocking the second lane.

[@erikwilliam1254]

The problem i see with adding lighting is it will probably be those bright LED lights that are blinding. In a small airplane, you can spot those lights from several miles away they are so bright that i don't think a lot of people realize just how bright they are.

[@arakwar]

If you slow down as you are supposed to, you have more than enough time to see it and go around it.

[@Flamingtac0]

So, that bright flashing LED at the left front of the trailer that defines where the trailer sits isn't enough? No amount of lights will prevent the distracted from hitting this. Rather than spend tens of thousands more dollars for lighting, you plan for the average observation skill level and let insurance handle the rest.

[@mitchk7655]

Do you not see that there is a bright flashing orange light along the side every 2 feet or so? just look at 0:37 in the video

[@richwiebe8084]

Cover it in retroreflecive chevrons like the back.

[@waynemetevia7983]

The fact that more of these are sorely needed everywhere is sad. Glad to see the first responders are able to protect themselves from all the morons out there.

[@CheeseMiser]

Not really. An interstate had a lot of things to focus on. And most people arent expecting a stationary vehicle to take up two lanes. Imagine having to merge two lanes along with everyone else out of the blue

[@waynemetevia7983]

@CheeseMiser When anyone is driving a vehicle they are supposed to be focused on their driving and their surroundings and paying attention to what is going on. I've seen those barricades countless times along the highways all over the country. They can be easily spotted and can be avoided from getting hit. Especially if you are obeying the speed limit. All anyone needs to do when approaching one is slow down and merge into the next lane.

[@CheeseMiser]

@@waynemetevia7983 you are full of crap.

[@ricko1321]

Been preaching this for years falling on deaf ears.

[@davestfx8249]

Well.... my guess is that most drivers will never see it until the moment they impact into it.... Had a driver hit a fire unit ..... It's lights were flashing..... it was adjacent to multiple fire and police units, all with their lights activated..,. Just for context.... it was the largest model of the Oshkosh 4 axcle airport crash tender .... it's painted bright yellow... has more flashing lights than you can visualize.... and is the size of a small bungalow...... Yes, the driver who hit the unit was texting...... wrote off her suburban type suv.... fortunately minimal damage to the unit No matter what precautions you take, drivers will find a way to out stupid them.

[@devnom9143]

I am used to road repair crew with trucks with plastic barriers attached to the back, when driving the barriers are stored vertically while in use they're swung down & deployed horizontally. As the plastic barriers function as a crumple zone to lessen the impact of anything that hits them, the barriers can only take a single hit but compared to having to repair the trucks replacing them is cheap

[@russellleasburg7711]

What we need is stricter laws for drivers who are not paying attention and accountability for their actions yes, it is a good thing that they have something like this for those that can’t pay attention and just do one thing (DRIVE)

[@dirtfarmer7472]

Cellphones cause a lot of wrecks, I pull off the road to use mine

[@TheRealBelisariusCawl]

Distracted driving is statistically more dangerous than drunk driving… and yet cops don’t do a thing about it.

[@QGoblin]

Had these in sweden for at least 30 years.

[@herberthallum2078]

That's just awesome ingenuity.

[@keithalexander4267]

Great idea. Beats endangering a million dollar ladder truck.

[@Geebax2]

Here in Australia we have these mobile crash barriers, primarily intended to protect road workers. Had them for years.

[@Sampson2833]

I used to live in Baltimore…….So great see Nicole Baker doing her Newsthang!!!!!!!

[@merrymanrc]

What a great idea to keep everyone safe 👍

[@90sFan141]

This is a great alternative to using the oldest squad car in the fleet or an expensive firetruck.

[@MrAmoRay]

That's the best idea for keeping our first responders safe on the freeways. Lots of idiots behind wheels these days. All counties should have one.

[@nosretep1960]

Every once in forever a great advance is made ❤🎉

[@Kevin_the_minion8]

Every dept with highways and interstates needs this. If only every dept had the funding for this piece of equipment

[@ewillson4953]

WAKE GOVERNORS. FAMILIES ARE BEING BROKEN BECAUSE THIS IS NOT AVAILABLE TO SAVE THEM.. THAT IS YOUR JOB!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP.

[@ian020881]

Excellent idea. Been using them in the UK for decades to protect roadworkers putting out traffic cones. Given the average standard of driving in the US, it needs more bright lights in big flashing arrows. Maybe even ablative armour/airbags to save a high speed impact? It'd need extra weight in that case, and it could act as a bowser too. There's a lot of potential in the idea.

[@scdrescher1]

Parking for the bank shot is nothing new but of all the things I did as a first responder the most frightening thing I ever did was work Highway calls. Watching some mope drive by with phone in hand trying to get footage for his next post and almost hitting the people in front of him always struck fear in my heart. We landed our A-Star on I-80 to pick up a patient and CHP didn’t stop traffic. Semi trucks were driving 3’ from our spinning rotors. I yelled to the cops to shut down the traffic until we could take off and one guy said he couldn’t because then he’d have to call the governor. I told him to give me his phone, certain Arnold would understand. I’d absolutely tell him that we would not be able to “get to tha choppah” if the main rotors were stuck in the side of a conex container….they never gave me their phone….cowards.

[@RetiredRadioChaser]

I was returning to the my office east bound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 276, about 4:30 to 5:00 pm when traffic ins normally heavy in both directions. I noticed that there was no traffic in the westbound direction. A couple of miles later, I saw a helicopter sitting in the westbound lanes and multiple wrecked vehicles. Pennsylvania State police had shut down the highway to allow a medical life flight helicopter to pick up someone.

[@scdrescher1]

@@RetiredRadioChaser props to those guys…pardon the pun. Nevada Highway Patrol would do anything to help us safely do our jobs and we loved them for it. Most of the CHP guys were cool but once in a while you’d get some power monger who was more concerned about being in control than everyone’s safety and those guys scared the crap outta me.

[@Kurokyura]

The highway can definitely be a scary place

[@jesserichardson7971]

It's really sad that we need something like that but kudos for investing in our emergency Personnel finally

[@MattsOrdinaryLife]

Glad firefighters have some real protection now.

[@brandonbarbuto-lord5199]

We’ve had this in Australia for years now, even our construction workers use them when working on major roads

[@davidvogel6359]

i worked on the roads for 27 + years. whenever i parked the truck when we were working in the street i would face the front of the truck towards the traffic in that lane and always had the headlights on. that way, we were working behind the truck and had some protection. what people noticed was the front of the truck facing them. the rear of the truck did not have the same effect because they just saw it as stopped traffic, not as a work area with people on the street. you could watch traffic move over as soon as they saw you in the lane. never had a close call with that method. that being said you better be watching all the time when near traffic.

[@Mr3344555]

That's freaking cool, shout out to our scientists and engineers

[@toushhog]

The news lady at the beginning could definitely cause a crash if she’s on the scene!

[@FlyGuy2000]

The fact that we need something like this indicates that we need more enforcement of traffic laws in North Texas.

[@nomercyinc6783]

this isnt first of its kind. road workers have had barriers like this attached to their trucks for decades

[@VaderisOne]

Dang, wish I had developed that. Definitely needed in Atlanta area, many yanks and west coaster that have zero driving skill here now that have ruined their home states.

[@Devin-O]

Unless you're vehicle suffered mechanical failure or you had a medical accident I can understand but aside from this or if someone had you hostage WTF PEOPLE slow down and let the heroes save lives.

[@Silentguy_]

It’s a shame people are so stupid that this is even needed now. Just a few years ago I was working an emergency fiber-optic repair in Plano and despite all the signs and lights we had directing traffic to another lane, we had a car slam into one of our cones probably doing 55 or 60 in a 35. In spot where one of our crew members had been standing about 1 minute prior. Wild thing is that the driver never even stopped. Our crew working at the other end of the fiber repair, about a mile up the road, said the cone got pinned under the car and came lose near them and left a huge chunk of the bumper with it.

[@swordofallah1129]

How do u get a job driving the mobile barrier? I have a clean record in Texas and CA

[@humphreydane731]

Need these in The UK, protect emergency services and as its so tall prevent rubber nickers causing further accidents

[@Bernie0481USMC]

Such a great idea!

[@Hurst6969]

Really important device but with staffing shortages, curious how they can afford the staffing for this rig?

[@wrecksandtech]

As someone who works on the side of the road I can safely say that thing needs way more lights. Like Christmas tree amount of light.

[@ntmeangreen]

Man that's a really good idea.

[@CVPI03]

slow your light pattern on all your apparatus will help too, look up california chp studies how light pattern helps from distracting drivers

[@invisibilianone6288]

Light pattern, AND intensely bright LED lights. The LED lights are blinding, to some people.

[@shadowstorm1742]

Let’s see if it can stop the train on GTA😂

[@ewillson4953]

NO TRAINS ON OUR ROADS..WHERE YOU BEEN DRIVING????

[@shadowstorm1742]

@@ewillson4953 there’s things called railroad crossings where u been and it’s in a video game what I’m talking about ever heard of it GTA5 one of the biggest games ever where u been bud under a rock 🤣

[@davidswanson5669]

This is such a no brainer, literally.

[@anonymousinc.7318]

If people would get their heads out of their asses and pay attention while driving, this wouldn't even be necessary.

[@Marshark50]

Fines should be automatically given out if it gets hit

[@TharkonOfficial]

Great idea. IMO the sides should have more lights though.

[@Iamdebug]

Blockers should be in every highway fire departments inventory

[@NochEinKamel]

Does this come with an automatic driving license shredder for everyone hitting it?

[@Jasper118]

Damn that might the busiest unit in the city

[@JustinTurnerman]

Great idea. More lights on it though. Red and blues

[@CheeseMiser]

Because the hi bisibily orange with high vis reflective strips isnt enough somehow. You need the blinding emergency lights to help cause more accidents

[@JustinTurnerman]

@CheeseMiser why are people still hitting it then. Clearly they can't see it good enough. If your blinded by lights you'll slow down wouldn't you.

[@CheeseMiser]

@@JustinTurnerman in the middle of a freeway. Really

[@JustinTurnerman]

​@@CheeseMiser yes now go play with come cheese

[@CheeseMiser]

@@JustinTurnerman oh no, no an uncle comeback involving my username, you must be so superior to me, whatever shall I do

[@LeathernecksMCOriginals]

Beautiful

[@87lumpa]

Great idea. Need them in Houston

[@TheMyeloman]

Great idea, but it could use a LOT of lights on it to draw even more attention to it.

[@bradm2116]

It can be hard to see specialy at night when theres multiple cars with flashing lights. i feel there should only be one maybe 2 (1 at each end) of a crash scene instead of 3 cruisers 2 ambulances 3 fire trucks and a couple tow trucks all with strobing lights distracting u plus all the rubba neckas trying to get a glimps if what happened. As much as it sucks to have to have its the world we live in today with crowded streets and this truck is gonna help save lives for sure.

[@frankscognamillo3758]

How do you not see that?

[@BJJ808]

Should be mandatory nationwide

[@blunderswish7121]

How do people think this needs more lights? Light arrows, reflective tape, and its a giant yellow red and white obstacle. The only way you hit this is if you're not paying attention or trying to cut in front of someone really quickly to merge.

[@dallinbagley4486]

Pretty anchor.

[@cf1885today]

Anyone that hits this truck should be jailed for being stupid!

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Looks big enough that they could add an auxilary tank to it, for places access to hydrants is limited.

[@TRG-u1p]

Yes, that is a great idea! Carrollton's has a 3000 gallon water tank.

[@Joshua-gt7pz]

I wonder if this concept could be down-sized for smaller counties and faster response time. I mean, park a brinx truck there and it should work pretty much the same, no?

[@JJW48002]

I wonder how much that cost

[@travisyarbrough4033]

Somebody has to protect these folks from the crazy people in Texas driving around .....

[@chah5001]

lol why do people keep hitting it?

[@graysonedwards8875]

Drunks, addiction, falling asleep ETC ETC

[@_bobjohnson1157]

Doing everything imaginable except driving their vehicle; likely messing with their phone

[@firedude5135]

It’s pretty horribly lit and marked. Needs to have lights and that reflective chevron on the sides as well.

[@johndoetheiv7429]

In a hurry and don’t have time to look for obstacles

[@High12083]

Must drivers are stupid

[@ccbarr58]

Great idea!

[@j.mccarthy3008]

Brilliant idea! Clearly in a knick of time! Drivers who hit this should just “go directly to jail and not pass Go!”

[@ewillson4953]

To the morgue..I won't happen again

[@stevenstranger5688]

Very cool. Great idea.

[@colorado841]

Just wait till they get the new quarterback truck.

[@acundercovershow8523]

I’d Highly Recommend All Fire Departments Need One Setup To Protect The Firefighters ❤

[@NIGHTSTALKER0069]

The sad parts is why it’s even needed.

[@jamesborck5908]

Recommend a led light sign to direct traffic on the top of it cause it’s clearly a flatbed trailer there more than enough space

[@kenlew4945]

Insurance would be saying "YOU DID WHAT????"

[@lord_vader87]

I've heard of departments using old retired apparatus as blockers they load them up with extra traffic cones and replace the water with sand in the water tank then that way if they get hit they can do minimal repairs and keep it going

[@ralbert7885]

How much?

[@jetfire245]

That "blocker unit" needs way more lighting on it. Looks like they rigged a trailer and called it a day. But the thing is not that visible on the side.

[@alvindueck2104]

Thats actually a great idea.

[@SuperDrewH]

Great idea

[@davidsmith-ry6ps]

Bright yelllow with lights. Yet still gets hit.. doh!

[@Mriya6]

Weird. In my country we all just slow down to 40kph when we see flashing red and blue lights on an emergency vehicle until we safely pass them. Drivers changing their behaviour to make the road safer for everyone. Imagine that.

[@ladder41]

That is awesome

[@1320fastback]

Needs more lights and they should put a set of cones out 10 feet before it.

[@DD-lc9jv]

Thank you for your cervix?

[@dons8122]

Being a former trucker and First responder this is Awesome . I hope the guy in the red car got a huge ticket for being an idiot.

[@TheCeruleanSea]

Incredible that people can't even see this thing! I've had exactly one accident in my life, and after commuting in SoCal's Inland Empire for over 25 years and incidental driving besides, I've driven about a million miles. Effing pay attention people!! It's not that hard.

[@Sara-L]

FUN FACT: If people STILL HIT THIS when it's 85 feet long and can be seen miles down the road... YOU STAND NO CHANCE. Anyone who hits this should automatically have their license revoked.

[@CheeseMiser]

65 foot. Also maybe they just could merge into or didnt notice it was taking up two lanes in an angle. So try applying actual logic instead of your dictatorship ways

[@dirtfarmer7472]

@@CheeseMiser No if you haven’t noticed people are DUMB & getting DUMBER

[@FaastTex]

That trailer needs flashing lights on the side.

[@WBDE]

I would think that a creative department could put together something that would be very effective using a combination of used and outdated equipment.

[@jamesmartin7282]

They should have cameras on the blocker, then review the video each time it gets hit and immediately revoke the license of anyone who wasn't paying attention, was drunk or high.

[@WOW-li4uj]

Sad that it’s needed!

[@UrBasicGuy]

People that can't be bothered to slow down when they see flashing lights need their licenses revoked. This is something that shouldn't even be needed.

[@MM-fe9mz]

Should mount retractable spotlight towers on the top to light up the crash scene.

[@EmperorNO1]

The fact, that people hit such a big yellow sign is alarming. Maybe such people should get their license revoked for life. Stupid people are the worst enemy to themselves abd others.