Monthly Archives: April 2017

What if Vehicle Manufacturers were required to do a Crash Reconstruction of crashes involving their vehicles?

Truck Safety, , ,

Facebook conversation on the topic of proposed UK Road Collision Investigation Branch:  https://www.facebook.com/AnnaLeahandMaryforTruckSafety/posts/1671163723186887

Me: Aaron Kiefer​, what do you think of this idea?
https://annaleahmary.com/2017/04/why-we-believe-the-creation-of-a-road-collision-investigation-branch-is-urgently-needed/

Aaron Kiefer : I like it, but it’s all a matter of resources and priorities. Volvo has a crash recon team that analyzes all accidents involving Volvos within a radius of Gothenburg…

AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety: So, what would be the most effective use of resources to reduce deadly crashes? So, Volvo has their own team? What would it look like if every Vehicle Manufacturer put some of their profit into safety in the form of a Crash Reconstruction Team of crashes involving their vehicles? That is the sort of thing which I called for in our Vision Zero Petition Book.

AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety:  Here is a quote from that book: “The current means of regulating the manufacture of underride guards requires the trailer manufacturer to design its underride guards to meet certain specifications. Once the manufacturer has met those requirements, then, currently, it cannot normally be held liable for any failure of the guard to withstand a crash–along with any resultant property damages, injuries, or death.

We would like to propose a change in the approach to regulating truck underride guards. We are requesting/recommending that the manufacturer be required to design and crash test a guard which would withstand a crash at any speed up to 50 mph and at any point along the back of the trailer.

Furthermore, we are requesting that, when a real-life underride crash does occur with one of their trucks, the manufacturer be held financially responsible for the cost of a thorough crash reconstruction, which would identify—at minimum—the speed which was traveled and whether the guard gave way with the impact of the crash.

With this new approach to regulating underride guards, the manufacturer would thereby be accountable for any failure of the guard to withstand a crash and thus be held responsible for ensuring a very important public outcome: prevention of horrific injuries and deaths due to underride crashes.

This is in sharp contrast to the current situation where no penalty is normally paid for a failed underride guard–except by the victims and their loved ones.” Comment from Marianne Karth The is a Comment on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Proposed Rule: Rear Impact Guards, Rear Impact Protection,

 Truck Underride A Practical Application of a Vision Zero Goal Marianne Karth Public Comment

Taken from: Vision Zero Petition Book 3rd Edition

Equal Justice For All, Legal Reader, artist Neal Angeles

 

“Why we believe the creation of a road collision investigation branch is urgently needed”

Uncategorized,

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates some high-profile motor vehicle crashes. But, for the most part, most single motor vehicle crash fatalities don’t get very thorough crash investigation. Like ours.

So I am very intrigued by the proposal to set up a UK Road Collision Investigation Branch:

Great idea! And, while you are at it, appoint a Traffic Safety Ombudsman to be its Vigilant Voice for Vulnerable Victims of Vehicle Violence! http://tinyurl.com/jh7ka64

And take a look at this article on crash testing which I re-discovered last night: Creating Demand For Crash Testing, by Lou Lombardo

Further thoughts on this idea: What if Vehicle Manufacturers were required to do a Crash Reconstruction of crashes involving their vehicles?

“Deadly side underride crashes can now be addressed”

Truck Safety, , ,

Robert Martineau, President and CEO of Airflow Deflector, Inc., discusses the problem of side underride:

It’s one of the most devastating traffic accidents: A car slams into the side of a tractor-trailer and crashes underneath and where most of its many safety features like airbags and other sensors are rendered worthless. As a result, the top of the vehicle may be sheared off; in many cases, the occupants are fatally injured.

Read more here: Announcement: “Deadly side underride crashes can now be addressed”

Perry Ponder, inventor of the AngelWing side underride protective device, explains to Jerry Karth how his side guard is installed and does its life-saving work.

“Cameras along I-85 monitoring commercial vehicle safety”

Truck Safety

Seems like a smart way to monitor large trucks to catch safety violations:

The cameras and scales along I-85 scan and weigh commercial vehicles, allowing troopers to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.

“Rather than a trooper just ride around burning fuel looking for violations he can come here use this technology that will track violations when one is headed his direction,” said Sgt. Jarrett.

It’s the newest technology available, the first in a high speed area.

“It takes a picture of their DOT number and the license plate and that’s where the light comes from and it researches the data base and puts that information in a database,” said Randy Braden, Assistant State Maintenance Engineer, ALDOT.

If there’s an infraction, the database will alert a nearby trooper, focusing on commercial vehicle safety and enforcement in real-time, in a time when doing more with less is the norm.

“We’re very, very shorthanded the most I’ve ever seen in my 19 year career so efficiency is key,” said Sgt. Jarrett.

ALDOT says they are in the process of getting the cameras certified and when that happens a sign will be put up explaining their purpose. Alabama transportation officials say they have funding set aside for another camera unit.

Officials say these devices are popping up all over the country due to their low operation cost in comparison to weigh stations.  A new weigh station would cost $10-15 million dollars to build while the virtual weigh station cost $300,000 to install.  Cameras along I-85 monitoring commercial vehicle safety