My daughter just set up a Twitter account for me (@MaryandAnnaLeah), so yesterday I tweeted this: SIDE Underride Guards in Canada & US. A Solution to Save Lives. Not yet required: http://tinyurl.com/lgnddkx  #trucksafety #underrrideguards

Today, I was going to talk about how I wanted to make sure that I was not giving the impression that my advocacy efforts were fueled by vengeance or unforgiveness. In fact, the passion behind my relentless pleas for change are based on the growing awareness and belief that an alarming number of deaths have occurred, and continue to occur, due to what are largely-preventable truck crashes—for any of a long list of possible reasons.

Well, there I did talk about it, didn’t I—but only because I do not want to be misunderstood and because I want to make you equally aware.

And now I want to talk about side underride guards, which I am just beginning to learn more about because our crash was a rear underride and that is mainly what I have been focused on. Thankfully, NHTSA has initiated the rulemaking on rear underride guards but our request for them to require side underride guards–which very few trucks have– is still under consideration.

This is what I read today: http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/cyclists-and-pedestrians-keep-getting-killed-trucks-when-solution-easy-mandatory-side-guards.html and http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/another-cyclist-gets-right-hook-its-time-sideguards-trucks-north-america.html .

Also, see the Mercedes-Benz solution: http://www.treehugger.com/cars/mercedes-benz-unveils-large-trucks-12-18-reduction-air-drag.html