E PLURIBUS UNUM

NATIONAL TRA SPORTATION

B OARD

SAFE T Y

N

 

National Transportation Safety Board 

Washington, D.C. 20594

Highway Accident Brief 

Accident No.: HWY-03-MH-018 

Accident Type: Vehicle loss of control, followed by sideswipe collisions with 

tractor-semitrailer 

Location: Amsterdam Road (State Route 347), west of Belgrade, 

Montana 

Date and Time: January 23, 2003, 3:20 p.m.

Vehicle 1: 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva 

Owner 1: Manhattan Christian School 

Operator 1: Driver education student 

Operation 1: Driver education class 

Injuries 1: 4 fatal 

Vehicle 2: 1991 International truck tractor with 1998 Utility semitrailer 

Owner 2: Food Services of America 

Operator 2: Driver with a commercial driverís license 

Operation 2: Local delivery route 

Injuries 2: None 

Accident Description 

About 3:20 p.m. on January 23, 2003, a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva driver 

education vehicle was westbound on Amsterdam Road near Belgrade, Montana (see 

figure 1). A driver education student, age 14 years, 8 months, was driving; an instructor 

was in the right-front passenger seat, and two other students were seated in the rear seat.

About the same time, a 1991 International Truck and Engine Corporation truck tractor 

with a 1998 Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company semitrailer was eastbound on 

Amsterdam Road. The weather was clear. Snow earlier in the day had resulted in an 

accumulation of slush on the roadway in places shaded by patches of trees (see figure 2). 

The truck driver estimated that his vehicle and the Oldsmobile were traveling 35 to 

45 mph. He stated that he saw the oncoming automobile from a distance of more than 

100 yards and noticed no indication of a problem. Just after the tractor-semitrailer crossed 

a short bridge over a ditch, the truck driver said the Oldsmobile began to fishtail and 

veered into the eastbound lane in front of the tractor-semitrailer. The tractor-semitrailer

driver said that he tried to avoid the collision by steering left, but he struck the 

Oldsmobile on the right side (see figure 3), causing the Oldsmobile to rotate clockwise, 

strike the right side of the tractor, and then slide down an embankment on the south side 

of the roadway. The tractor came to rest facing north, blocking both lanes of traffic (see 

figure 4). 

 NTSB/HAB-05/02
Belgrade

Amsterdam Road

Accident site

90

85

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Figure 1. Accident location. 

Figure 2. Roadway conditions at the accident scene. (Source: Montana Highway 

Patrol) 

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Figure 3. Vehicles aligned postcollision during accident reconstruction. 

Figure 4. Vehicles at final rest. (Source: Montana Highway Patrol) 

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Inspections of the Oldsmobile and the tractor semitrailer did not reveal any 

anomalies in the braking or steering systems. 

Amsterdam Road 

In the vicinity of the accident site, Amsterdam Road is a straight, level, undivided 

roadway consisting of two 11-foot-wide lanes, variable-width shoulders, and grassy 

ditches sloping away from the shoulders. The road was intermittently bordered on the

south by tall trees that cast shadows on the roadway. The posted speed limit was 70 mph 

in the daytime and 65 mph at night. Approximately 60 feet west of the accident site was a 

short, 22-foot-wide bridge over a ditch. The sides of the bridge consisted of W-beam

barriers marked by 12-inch object markers on each end; each marker extended about 

6 inches into the roadway (see figure 2). 

Weather data from Bozeman, Montana, about 10 miles southeast of Belgrade, 

indicated temperatures on the morning of the accident were between 14° F and 25° F. 

Snow and mixed freezing precipitation had ended by 10:30 a.m. and were followed by 

mist or fog until about 11:30 a.m. At 2:56 p.m., the temperature had risen to 35.6° F with

light winds and broken cloud cover. 

Time sheets for the Gallatin County Road and Bridge Department, which is 

responsible for snow removal, included several entries on January 23 for Amsterdam 

Road, indicating ìScrape Iceî and ìPlow and Sand.î The time of day for these entries 

was not noted. Postaccident photographs show an accumulation of ice, snow, and slush 

on the pavement edges and two clear tire ruts in the slush in each lane, slightly offset 

toward the center of the roadway (see figure 2). Some standing water had accumulated in

puddles along the south side of the roadway. 

Less than an hour before this accident, another automobile had been westbound 

on Amsterdam Road. The driver of that vehicle told investigators that she was traveling

about 55 mph without difficulty, following the tracks in the slush. Suddenly, without 

warning, according to the driver, her vehicle began to fishtail. She could not regain 

control, crossed the eastbound lane, and came to rest in a ditch on the south side of the

road, about 200 feet east of where the accident later occurred. The driver stated that, in 

hindsight, she believed a slower speed would have been more prudent, but she had not 

had any problems before the fishtail. 

Drivers 

The Oldsmobile driver enrolled in driver education at Manhattan Christian 

School. He possessed a Traffic Education Permit, issued by the driver education 

instructor and valid through March 15, 2003. Montana Department of Justice Motor 

Vehicle Division records also indicate that a Traffic Education Learner License was 

issued to the student and recorded on January 14, 2003, through the Cooperative Driver 

Testing Program (CDTP). This license allowed him to operate a motor vehicle when 

accompanied by a State-approved driving instructor or a licensed parent or guardian. The 

driver was in his third of 10 behind-the-wheel driving sessions. Previous sessions had 

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focused on developing general familiarity with the vehicle and basic driving maneuvers 

on local arterial and secondary roads, as well as practice in merging, changing lanes, 

maintaining appropriate speed, and exiting from the interstate. The driverís mother said 

he had limited experience driving the familyís automobile in the company of his parents. 

She said he had driven the previous weekend on snow- and ice-covered roads without 

incident. 

The 30-year-old truck driver possessed a valid Montana commercial driverís 

license and medical certificate and had been driving commercial vehicles since 1999. His

job included regularly scheduled 4- to 12-hour days and entailed driving a truck to make

deliveries and sometimes unloading the truck. He received safety training quarterly from

his employer. 

Both drivers tested negative for alcohol and illicit drugs. 

Montana Driver Education 

In Montana, a Department of Justice or CDTP-approved traffic education 

instructor may issue a Traffic Education Learner License to anyone age 14 years, 

6 months, or older who has passed a knowledge test and vision examination. The license 

entitles the holder to operate a vehicle when an approved instructor or a licensed parent 

or guardian is in the vehicle. A Traffic Education Permit (often referred to as a Restricted 

Instruction Permit) may be issued to anyone age 14 years, 6 months, or older who is 

enrolled in an approved traffic education course. The permit entitles the holder to operate 

a vehicle only when an approved instructor is in the vehicle. At age 15, a person may 

obtain a full license if he or she has passed a traffic education course; otherwise, the 

individual must wait until age 16. To obtain a full license, the applicant must pass a 

knowledge and road test, although this requirement may be waived if the applicant has 

completed a certified CDTP. A CDTP is ìany state-approved high school traffic

education course offered by or in cooperation with a school district that employs an 

approved instructor who has current endorsement from the superintendent of public 

instruction as a teacher of traffic education.î1

The Manhattan Christian Schoolís traffic education course had been approved by 

the Montana Office of Public Instruction and was taught by a certified CDTP instructor. 

The course was offered twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter. The 

winter course, in which the accident driver was enrolled, began January 7 and included 

42 hours of classroom instruction, which took place before school, and 18 hours of 

behind-the-wheel instruction (6 hours of driving and 12 hours of observation), which 

took place after school. 

Montanaís Traffic Education Curriculum2

 contains one lesson on driving in 

adverse weather conditions; upon completion of the lesson, students should be able to 

describe the problems associated with adverse weather, including factors that limit

visibility and reduce traction, and to execute strategies to compensate for those factors. 

The lesson does not have a specific behind-the-wheel objective, but the curriculum 

 1

 Montana Code Annotated 61-5-110(3). 

2

 Montana Office of Public Instruction, Traffic Education Curriculum (Helena, Montana: 1995). 

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suggests that if adverse weather is encountered, the student should review appropriate 

procedures with the instructor. The lesson discusses loss of traction and hydroplaning, as 

well as the appropriate response to both situations. The Traffic Education

Standards/Requirements/Procedures for High School Driver Education Programs,

3

which is Montanaís policy manual for driving instructors, states that, for scheduling

considerations, ìinclement weather driving is encouraged as opposed to cutting back or 

canceling driving until the arrival of fairer weather.î 

Survival Factors 

The Oldsmobile rotated counterclockwise and slid sideways across the centerline, 

where it was struck by the front of the tractor-semitrailer, and then rotated clockwise and 

impacted the right-front side of the tractor. The Oldsmobile sustained severe damage to 

its right side and the tractor-semitrailer sustained minor front-end damage. Intrusion into 

the Oldsmobileís passenger compartment was 24 inches extending along the right side. 

All of the passengers were wearing their lap/shoulder belts, and the driver and front 

passenger airbag deployed. Full autopsies were not conducted, but the coroner 

determined that all four Oldsmobile passengers sustained fatal injuries from massive

blunt force trauma and flail chest4

 wounds. 

Probable Cause 

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of 

this accident was the Oldsmobile driverís loss of control due to the slushy roadway 

conditions. Contributing to the loss of control was the driverís inexperience driving in 

degraded winter weather. 

Adopted: June 20, 2005 

 3

 Montana Office of Public Instruction, Traffic Education Standards/Requirements/Procedures for 

High School Driver Education Programs (Helena, Montana: 2000). 

4

 Flail chest, caused by fractures of three or more ribs, is an indicator of significant force to the chest 

wall and rib cage, resulting in the loss of mechanical integrity to the chest and subsequent inability to

breathe. 

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