Again and again there are crashes on the freeways because truck drivers suffer from lack of sleep. The culprits are not enough parking spaces and a lack of noise protection. The Autobahn GmbH in the southwest is taking on the problem - not fast enough, says an association.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Truck drivers often have no choice but to park in car parking spaces at night or park their trucks at the entrances and exits of rest areas. The result of the urgent tightness is lack of sleep, which can lead to terrible accidents. But a remedy is in sight: At the request of the German Press Agency, the Southwest branch of the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes reported that more than 1,000 truck parking spaces should be created by 2030, with more than 2,000 more thereafter. The ADAC had recently drawn attention to dangerous conditions at the motorway rest areas. The car club had demanded 3,000 new parking spaces.
The ADAC found a particularly dramatic situation at the Sindelfingen Forest service area, where by the afternoon it was almost impossible to find a free parking space. In a snapshot by the ADAC, three truck drivers used the hard shoulder or the entrance or exit area for their night's sleep - nationwide this was eight. Autobahn GmbH itself estimates the deficit at 2,500 parking spaces. "Truck parking spaces are an important factor for compliance with the driving times of truck drivers and thus for the safety of all road users," emphasizes the GmbH.
The "Wide awake at 80 km/h" initiative, which is dedicated to fighting the deaths of truck drivers, calls for faster and more extensive improvements. So there should not only be more space at the rest areas, but also protection against noise and heat - with insulating walls or earth walls for undisturbed sleep, says the spokesman for "Hellwach", Dieter Schäfer. In a survey published in 2020, one in four drivers stated that they had nodded off at the wheel one to three times in the previous year.
Autobahn GmbH sees the key to a more relaxed situation in compaction. The parking spaces at the service areas will not be reduced, but areas will be repurposed. Tramline areas could be converted into parking areas. In addition, it is being examined which existing areas within service areas and parking lots with toilets are suitable for additional parallel or diagonal parking.
Such measures will significantly increase capacity on the A5 (Kreuzlach, Lußhardt and Mönchberg) and on the A8 (Kämpfelbach) over the next three years. Additional parking spaces are planned by 2023 at five car parks on the A8 (Pforzheim-Süd) and on the A5 (Weidengrien, Blauenblick, Hardt and Galgenloch). From the point of view of Schäfer, former head of the Mannheim traffic police department, with 70 dead professional drivers nationwide in 2021, action must be taken more quickly than the motorway company announces. In general, more appreciation for the "captains of the road" is required. This applies equally to the recipients of the goods and the municipalities. In commercial areas, truck drivers should at least be able to go to the toilet and, above all, be allowed to do so. "Everyone wants a delivery, but the person who brings it is treated inhumanely," complains Schäfer.
The motorway company also relies on digital solutions that inform drivers about free parking spaces in the motorway app. The goal over the next few years is to equip all petrol stations and rest areas with more than 70 truck parking spaces on motorways with one-digit numbers with digital parking space registration. Ideally, existing truck parking space can be increased by up to 50 percent with telematics processes.
