More than one person has brought up the question of side guards in response to the recent announcement of a proposed rule on rear guard improvement for tractor trailers.
Here are some ways by which we are trying to address side guards as a solution to the problem of cars, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists riding under the sides of trucks:
- https://www.federalregister.
gov/articles/2014/07/10/2014- 16018/federal-motor-vehicle- safety-standards-rear-impact- guards-rear-impact-protection “By initiating rulemaking to consider enhancing related safety standards, this notice grants the part of the petition for rulemaking submitted by Ms. Marianne Karth and the Truck Safety Coalition (Petitioners) requesting that the agency improve the safety of rear impact (underride) guards on trailers and single unit trucks. Based on the petition, available information, and the agency’s analysis in progress, NHTSA has decided that the Petitioners’ request related to rear impact guards merits further consideration. Therefore, the agency grants the Petitioners’ request to initiate rulemaking on rear impact guards. NHTSA is planning on issuing two separate notices—an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking pertaining to rear impact guards and other safety strategies for single unit trucks, and a notice of proposed rulemaking focusing on rear impact guards on trailers and semitrailers. NHTSA is still evaluating the Petitioners’ request to improve side guards and front override guards and will issue a separate decision on those aspects of the petition at a later date.” - Read this post about a North Carolina forensic engineer working on a retrofit solution for underride–including side guard protection: https://annaleahmary.com/2015/09/innovative-combined-side-rear-guard-promises-better-underride-protection/
- See the draft agenda for the Underride Roundtable on May 5, 2016, which we are planning and which will include presentations on and discussion of side underride protection: Underride Roundtable Agenda November draft
- Our 9 year-old grandson, on his own, thought about a solution for the side underride problem: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=HBbLCubz7xU
