Vermont

Vermont, a small state consisting of 9,250 square miles in the New England region of the United States, is the only landlocked New England state. The state, that has a population 621,760 (2009 U.S. Census), is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north.

Montpelier is Vermont’s state capital. By population, Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the United States with an estimated 8,035 residents (2000 U.S. Census). Montpelier is located in the center of the state along Interstate 89.

Burlington is the largest city in Vermont, followed by South Burlington, Rutland, and Barre. The Burlington-South Burlington metropolitan area contains approximately one-third of Vermont’s total population. In addition to the cities of Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski, the Burlington-South Burlington metropolitan area encompasses the towns of Colchester, Essex, and Williston as well as the village of Essex Junction.

Tourism is an important part of Vermont’s economy with resorts, hotels, restaurants, and shops designed to attract summer tourists, and numerous ski resorts drawing tourists during the winter months. In the fall, Vermont is world famous for colorful fall foliage displays. The Vermont Tourism Data Center at the University of Vermont shows that 14.3 million visitors made trips to Vermont in 2007 for leisure, business, or personal travel.

Vermont is served by two commercial airports, Burlington International Airport and Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport. There are also more than a dozen smaller airports in Vermont. The main roadways in Vermont are Interstate 89 (which serves both Montpelier and Burlington en route to the Canadian border), Interstate 91 running from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border; and Interstate 93 connecting the northern part of the state with New Hampshire.

In December 2009, a pilot program was enacted to allow 108,000 to 120,000-pound tractor-trailers to operate on Vermont’s secondary roads and 100,000-pound trucks on all Vermont Interstate highways. The current Vermont standard for truck weight is 80,000 pounds gross weight on interstate highways, as established by federal law (Truck Safety Coalition).

Opponents of the bill had argued against allowing trucks to carry the heavier loads and unnecessarily jeopardizing motorists’ safety. Passengers or drivers of cars involved in fatal traffic accidents are far more likely to die as a result of a collision between a passenger car and a large truck than the driver or an occupant of the truck.

Rutland and Barre are the traditional centers of marble and granite quarrying and carving in the U.S. Quarrying is an important part of Vermont’s economy, with numerous quarries dotting the landscape. As more rock quarrying operations open in Vermont, residents in nearby communities complain of noise, dust, and the diminished rural charm. Heavy truck traffic plus daily trips hauling rock and gravel over inadequate roads creates congestion. Motorists sharing the roadways with heavily loaded quarry trucks have an increased risk for potentially devastating truck and car collisions. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were 73 fatalities in Vermont as a result of traffic accidents in 2009. Large trucks were involved in 6, or 5.9%, of these fatal accidents.

According to statistical data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Vermont has 14,273 miles of road and nearly 3,000 trucks registered in the state. In 2008, there were 251 fatal and non-fatal crashes involving large trucks. Of the 2008 crashes, 6 resulted in fatalities and 68 resulted in minor to serious injuries. Of the 251 crashes, 177 required that a vehicle be towed away from the scene of the accident. All of the fatal crashes involved trucks whose gross vehicle weight rating was more than 26,000 lbs. In non-fatal crashes, 86% of the trucks involved had a gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 lbs.

There were various driver-related factors that contributed to the these accidents, which included the presence of ice, snow, or water on the road, drivers being drowsy or sleepy, reckless driving, and the use of cellular phones in the vehicle. In 50% of fatal crashes, no adverse conditions were reported; the other 50% of fatal crashes did report rain, sleet, hail, or snow as a contributing factor to the accident. In non-fatal truck crashes, 58% reported no adverse conditions with lesser reports of rain and snow as factors. Half of all crashes occurred in other principle arteries (expressways and freeways), followed by interstates (33.3%) and minor arterial roads.