Frighting Videos Of Trucks Using Runaway Ramps

Have you ever driven down a Wyoming mountain highway, looked at the runaway truck turnout, and tried to imagine what it would be like actually to have to use one of those things?

I can't put you in the seat of one of those trucks, but I can show you a few videos shot by folks who have seen it happen.

There are a few places in Wyoming where there is not enough room for a truck to stop on a ramp.

So, WYDOT built a "Dragnet System" that looks more like it was designed to stop a jet fighter landing on an aircraft carrier.

Highway runaway truck ramps are safety features on long, steep downgrades designed to stop or slow down trucks experiencing brake failure.

They are typically located near the middle or end of long, steep downgrades, providing a safe area for trucks to come to a halt away from other vehicles.

Colorado NBC News Channel 9 filed the following story, showing some nail-biting videos.

Most ramps take the truck high up a hill for a gravity-assisted stop. Some are on a flat area and use a lot of sand and gravel to slow the truck down.

This one ended with little drama. Breaks lost, truck takes the ramp. Easy stop.

Sometimes is a series of cables that stop the truck, sometimes it's gravity.

Thick dirt is also used to slow the truck down and keep it stopped once it is stopped.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation will regularly post photos and videos of trucks that have had to use these ramps.

Here in Wyoming, one of the most used ramps is on Highway 16, over the Bighorn Mountains, just above Buffalo, Wyoming.