Truck accidents are among the most dangerous types of accidents that occur across the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,956 people were killed and an estimated 160,608 people were injured in crashes involving trucks in 2022. Of the more than 500,000 large trucks involved in accidents, 71% were classified as heavy trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds.
One of the most dangerous types of truck accidents is known as an underride accident, where the other vehicle slides underneath the truck. There are some protections in place to prevent this from happening — 49 CFR 393.86 requires that every trailer and semitrailer be equipped with a rear impact guard or similar device to prevent vehicles from sliding underneath it from behind. However, there is no legal requirement for a truck to be equipped with side underride guards.
Is a Requirement To Have Side Underride Guards Forthcoming?
There has been some movement on this, with mounting pressure from safety-focused organizations to implement this into federal law. In a recent report to Congress, the NHTSA investigated the potential cost and value of adding these guards to every large truck in the country. According to its findings, installing this equipment would prevent an estimated 17 fatalities and 69 serious injuries per year. The installation would come at a premium — an estimated $973 million and $1.2 billion — but some groups are arguing that the potential lives saved is massively underestimated.
Can Underride Guards Prevent Truck Crash Injuries and Fatalities?
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) pushed back, saying that these side underride guards could save 10 times as many lives per year. Part of the argument was that the NHTSA excluded several types of crashes and other forms of speed data, which, according to senior research engineers at IIHS, means that side underride guards could save 159-217 lives per year depending on specific standards and variables surrounding this equipment.
Other research has shown that underride accidents have a very low serious injury rate because they tend to either cause minimal injuries or result in fatalities. While these types of collisions are rarer than many other forms of truck accidents, they are consistently among the most devastating and are far too often caused by negligence or reckless actions taken by the truck driver.
Where To Turn If a Truck Collision Harmed You or Someone You Love
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a truck crash, it’s important to find legal representation you can trust to represent you in court and at the negotiation table. At GDH Law, our Lanham truck accident lawyers have spent decades fighting for the rights of injured victims. Give us a call to schedule a free case evaluation today.
