People who live along Bringle Ferry Road are not the only ones concerned about the dangers of heavy tanker truck traffic.

Denton residents and the Davidson County Board of Commissioners worry about the trucks, too. And they have taken action.

This issue came up in Rowan last month after a tanker truck crashed on Bringle Ferry Road, injuring the driver and spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol.

The August wreck brought back memories of a terrible accident that happened just a couple of miles up Bringle Ferry Road in 2015. The driver in that accident was killed. So much ethanol spilled that nearby homes were evacuated for a prolonged time — so long that a few moved away.

One of those evacuees is now suing the transport company, the trucking company and the company that was supposed to be cleaning up the spill.

Both tankers — plus another that crashed in Cabarrus County in August — were all carrying ethanol picked up at a distribution terminal in Denton that expanded several years ago.

In Rowan County, the tankers often use Bringle Ferry as a direct route to Interstate 85.

Davidson County residents have also seen several accidents that raise red flags about the safety of tanker trucks on rural roads. All these tankers have been hauling ethanol from J.T. Russell and Sons Inc. in Denton.

According to The Dispatch in Lexington, a July 2016 accident involving a tanker truck and a Jeep near the intersection of N.C. Highway 8 and Bringle Ferry Road in Southmont led to injuries.

Add in a few other tanker truck accidents in the area in recent years, and you have enough danger to get the attention of Davidson County Commissioners.

The Dispatch reports that, at the prompting of Commissioner Steve Shell, the Davidson board passed a resolution Aug. 22 asking law enforcement to increase patrols and enforcement of traffic laws. They specifically mentioned the area around J.T. Russell and Sons and the nearby routes traveled by the tanker trucks.

“I think we need stepped-up enforcement,” Shell said at the Aug. 22 meeting. “That’s what this resolution is for — to be served on the commander in Raleigh, Salisbury and all of our law enforcement agencies.”

Denton citizens complained to their mayor, Larry Ward,  that the tanker trucks have driven them off the road and that the trucks don’t stop at railroad tracks.

Ward said he has seen the drivers make turns so fast — possibly to beat a traffic signal — that the tanker truck’s wheels come off the ground.

That would not surprise Bringle Ferry Road residents who see tanker trucks speed by all the time. One man said he has waved his arms at drivers to try to get them to slow down.

These tanker trucks typically carry 8,000 gallons of ethanol. In the fatal Rowan accident in 2015, thousands of gallons were spilled, endangering groundwater in an area where people depend on wells.

The contamination might be far worse if a tanker truck rolled over in Denton. Ethanol could go into the storm drain and end up in the Yadkin River, the mayor has warned, affecting communities downstream all the way to Georgetown, South Carolina.

Tanker drivers, take note.  Residents, officials and law enforcement are watching. Slow down.

Elizabeth Cook is editor of the Salisbury Post.