15 Freeway closure raises questions about hazardous materials on California roads

KCAL News reporter Nicole Comstock talks to the California Highway Patrol about the days-long closer of the I-15 Freeway.

[mhughes]

Shutting down major roads and leaving people
Stranded for hours on end with no way to escape
is ridiculous.

[DillysADV]

The trucking industry is not the problem displayed here. Electric cars are all carrying the same Hazardous materials. We are surrounded by them..

[CharMinsky]

Talking about money. Freakin stupid. My nephew spent 15 hours battling this mess. He said the trauma was sickening, people loosing their minds. He called it apocalyptic. His companions were deeply stress and it was worse than a mob scene. Hysteria. Confusions and fear. No gas, no comfort stops, nothing. Very bad sign.

[Moondoggy]

1:47 This is a lie, they know exactly what is in them, the truckers have to carry placards, all these trucks HAVE to go throw scales, the CHP make it a point to watch them very closely.

[brianbooser]

That's not true. If it's a hazardous material there are stickers on the outside of the container telling you what it is

[Berserker]

So remove every EV vehicle from the road problem solved.

[shelbynamels]

when this guy says 'we simply don't know what's in these trucks' he's not being entirely truthful. Every haz=mat load is placarded which gives first responders like firefighters an indication of how to react to an incident.

The problem here was that this was not a substance firefighters were familiar with. They didn't know how to deal with it i.e. what medium to use to fight the flames, and they were concerned about a possible explosion.

Still, this could have been way better handled than having people sit in their vehicles for 48 hours.

[brianbooser]

It wasn't hauling 70000 pounds of batteries

[Stromboli]

Not just any kind of “hazardous materials”…a lithium ion battery the size which is typical of those used in large commercial operations for solar power and also for digital currency mining like Bitcoin. These things are usual linked in tandem together and they typically are found in rural communities where the public has no choice but to accept their fate as neighbors to these monstrosities. So, imagine if you can, about 40-50 of these in proximity to people’s houses, placed near forested areas, or worse in more densely populated neighborhoods. Then, go and research the “noise pollution” from these same “battery farms” and you will inevitably see the human cost to people’s health from not sleeping properly, to anxiety etc. the unhealthy effect on their horses, dogs, cats, goats, etc, and then you will know, this whole new paradigm of technological innovation is nothing more than a trap, waiting to spring into action…….consider this a warning. 🫵🤨

[douglaspinsak]

Well then how do you transport them? A train is better? A plane is better? A boat is better? Every option has its problems. Not to mention lithium batteries were the issue, so I guess you want to ban EV’s? It’s unfortunate this event happened, but these sorts of rare events are part of modern life.

[blaydCA]

We wouldn't HAVE this problem if everyone just had Conestoga Wagons.
When was the last time you saw a horse explode?

[razatlab]

How bad would an all electric car pile up would be ?

[AprilTeniente-eumj]

Uh oh!! Those people are stuck in the standstill traffic jam.
Fox McCloud: Oh, no!
Mario: Mama Mia!!
Peach: Oh, no!!
Grover: What happened?!

[russcudney]

Too hard to turn around and go to Vegas next weekend.

[MilePost]

Everyone wanted these lithium batteries and EV’s. They are going to be transported like this and stuff is going to happen. Now man up and deal with it!

[boblandwehr]

So let's build Battery Energy Storage Systems with lithium-ion batteries in residential areas!

[kqhfseb]

Drive like a normal person and you won't have to worry about whats on the road. You have idiots that shouldn't be driving causing accidents.

[Moondoggy]

If everyone carried ear plugs in their cars and simply payed on the horn for more than an hour, they will open the freeway.

[mattr]

It is obvious what happened and there is nothing to investigate.... the truck driver drove too fast and irresponsibly.

[DrMyEyes]

Give the Sheriff 2 stars and he shuts down an interstate. 🤣