Monthly Archives: March 2018

AnnaLeah Karth: “I believe that I, and all true believers, will one day join Him in Heaven.”

Truck Owners Can Deduct Underride Protection Cost Dollar for Dollar. So Why Don’t They Want to Put It On?

“So tell me, why were we talking about side guards on March 19, 1969 — almost 50 years ago — and we still have not put them on trucks?!” Thousands of people have needlessly died. (Questioning the industry panel at the Road to Zero Coalition meeting in DC)

(Click on Q & A at this link: http://nsc.capitolconnection.org/032018/nsc_archive_flv.htm)

Not only that, but we did our taxes today and I asked the tax consultant what it would mean to a truck owner if they took advantage of IRS Tax Code Section 179 and deducted the purchase of underride prevention equipment. She said that they would be able to deduct the cost of the equipment — dollar for dollar.

As my son pointed out, they will not get all of their money back. But they will get the deduction. They will get fuel savings with side guards that are combined with side skirts and thus a quick ROI. They will get back on the road more quickly in the event of a collision when there is not a fatality and their truck is not as damaged. Their insurance liability will be less and perhaps the insurance companies will jump on board and lower their costs. They will be helping to save lives and reduce the number of horrific injuries and, in the process, gain some peace of mind themselves.

What are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road!

Senator Gillibrand Responds to Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn Concerns re: STOP Underrides! Bill

On December 19, 2017, shortly after the STOP Underrides! Bill was introduced, I called Mike Matousek, Director of Government Affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). I told him about the bill and asked him if we could discuss any concerns they might have about the legislation. He agreed to look it over.

Despite the fact that I sent reams of information about the underride problem and solutions and tried to set up face to face meetings with OOIDA representatives, OOIDA proceeded to issue a letter of opposition to Senator Gillibrand and Senator Rubio on January 29:

OOIDA S 2219 Letter

On March 3, trucker advocates Allen and Donna Smith went through the OOIDA talking points on the bill one at a time on their Radio Talk Show (Jerry, Lois, and I were their guests for the show):

  1. Allen and Donna Smith, truck safety advocates for over ten years, have used their Ask the Trucker social media platform to raise awareness about the underride problem. Thank you, Allen & Donna!
  2. Ask the Trucker blogposts:
    Underride Guard Mandate: A Counterargument to Industry Opposition
    Unknown facts about underride crashes and prevention
  3. Podcast of Ask the Trucker BlogTalkRadio: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

On March 16, Senator Gillibrand responded to OOIDA with a letter addressing each of their concerns. Read it for yourself and see what you think is the truth of the matter:

Letter to OOIDA from Senator Gillibrand

 

Underride Safety Hazard Notice in Accordance With Commonsense Safety Recommendations

When I saw a NHTSA Safety Recall Notice, which Lois Durso had received for a car she owns, I immediately thought, “We should make one of those for trucks!” A month or so later, we did.

This is not an official notice. But there are people who need this information.
Because it’s true.

Traffic Deaths STILL Public Health Crisis:”Researcher Says Auto Safety Measures Prevented Millions of Deaths”

Traffic safety measures ranging from seat belt and drunk driving enforcement to design standards for cars and trucks “averted a public health disaster” by preventing about 5.8 million deaths in the U.S. from 1968 through 2015, according to a new study.

The analysis found that without federal and state policies, traffic deaths annually would “likely have been in the hundreds of thousands rather than tens of thousands” in recent years. The report, published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, was by Leon Robertson, an injury epidemiology expert who taught at Yale and Harvard and has written more than 150 research papers and books, many on automotive safety. . .

Read more here: Researcher Says Auto Safety Measures Prevented Millions of Deaths, FairWarning, Christopher Jensen, March 12, 2018

I am thankful for every life saved from the fate of a motor vehicle fatality. However, there are still thousands of lives lost every year to preventable traffic deaths. And this most certainly includes the hundreds (and maybe thousands) of lives lost to Death By Truck Underride, which has been woefully neglected for decades by those who could have done something about it and which negates the safety features of modern cars.

In my book, this is still a major public health problem. And we need to start acting like it is!

Last night, Pres. Obama referred in the past tense to crash fatalities as a public health problem.

NTSB Recommended FRONT OVERRIDE PROTECTION In 2010 after Truck OVERRODE 3 vehicles

Last week, I came upon a document listing safety recommendations which the National Transportation Safety Board has made related to truck underride protection. What really got me was the report on their crash investigation of a 2009 truck crash — summarized here:

Safety Recommendation H-10-013, Issue Date: 10/21/2010 Truck-Tractor Semitrailer Rear-End Collision Into Passenger Vehicles on Interstate 44​, ​On ​June 26, 2009​, a multivehicle accident occurred on Interstate 44 (I-44) near Miami, Oklahoma, shortly after a minor accident in the same vicinity occurred. . .

The ​Volvo​ continued forward, ​struck and overrode​ the Hyundai Sonata, ​struck and overrode​ a 2004 Kia Spectra, and then struck the rear of a 2000 Ford Windstar minivan. The ​Volvo overrode​ a portion of the Windstar while pushing it into the rear of a livestock trailer being towed by a 2004 Ford F350 pickup truck. . .

10 passenger vehicle occupants died​, 5 received minor-to-serious injuries, and the driver of the Volvo combination unit was seriously injured. . .

Contributing to the severity​ of the accident were the ​Volvo truck-tractor combination unit’s​ high impact speed and its ​structural incompatibility with the passenger vehicles. . .

​Truck frontal impacts pose a major hazard to passenger vehicle occupants and front underride contributes to the risk. . .

Passenger compartment intrusion in underride collisions results in deaths and serious injuries to passenger vehicle occupants and is common in truck frontal impacts​. . .

a ​strong relationship between the height of front truck bumpers and the occurrence of front underride​, which​ suggests that a front underride protection system could prevent both front underride and passenger compartment intrusion​. . .

Since 2003, European Union countries have required front underride protection systems on all newly manufactured heavy-goods vehicles, which indicates that such a standard is feasible​. The ​NTSB concludes​ that ​collisions between passenger vehicles and the front of single-unit trucks or tractor-trailers are common types of crashes that result in fatalities​, and ​front underride contributes to crash severity.​ The NTSB therefore​ reiterates its prior recommendations​ that ​(1) NHTSA develop performance standards for front underride protection systems for trucks . . .

See more here: NTSB Truck Underride Safety Recommendations to NHTSA

“The longer it takes for NTSB safety recommendations to be implemented, the longer an identified safety need remains unaddressed, potentially threatening the safety of travelers and transportation workers.” Rob Molloy, NTSB Director, Office of Highway Safety, https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20180314b.aspx

Also, remember that the American Trucking Associations was, and is, well aware of the front override problem. Look at their predictions for underride regulations in 2005 — single unit trucks — and 2006 — front override protection and side guards: 2002 ATA Prediction of Side Guard Regulations

Understanding Underride V: Front Underride

Let’s protect against deadly Front OVERRIDE!

What’s Happening with Truck Underride?

I realize that there is a lot of information on this site — maybe not always so easy to find. Be sure to use the pages, links, and the tags in the right-hand column to search by topic.

Also, there is a lot happening as we work on many fronts to advance comprehensive underride protection. Our sense of urgency drives our actions and we hope that it does the same for you.

Please sign & share the STOP Underrides! Petition. We need to send a strong message that Enough is enough! Sign here: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!

Recent posts include:

  1. Posts from the beginning of 2018: Recent Posts Related to the STOP Underrides! Bill
  2. NTSB Recommended FRONT OVERRIDE PROTECTION In 2010 after Truck OVERRODE 3 vehicles  Last week, I came upon a document listing safety recommendations which the National Transportation Safety Board has made related to truck underride protection. What really got me was the report on their crash investigation of a 2009 truck crash — summarized here. . .
  3. More Incriminating Evidence Points To Needless Neglect of Preventable Death By Truck Underride    As I was getting ready to attend the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (ATA/TMC) Annual Meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Monday, I received an email with another document which points to the needless neglect of preventable Death By Truck Underride which has gone on for decades. The latest piece of incriminating evidence just happened to be published in 2002 by the TMC themselves. It is entitled, TMC Future Truck Committee Information Report: 2002 — A Brief Look at the Far Horizon; An Exploration of What’s to Come for Trucking. . .
  4. The guard didn’t break off AS the car went under the truck; the car went under BECAUSE the guard broke off!
  5. From the Library of AnnaLeah Karth, 1995-2013: She hadn’t read them all yet; Death By #Underride
  6. 1969 Chicago Cubs Baseball a Thing of the Past; Same Year DOT Planned to Require Side Guards on Trucks
  7. AnnaLeah & Mary: With Their Sister’s Wedding Dress, Allison’s Angel Gowns Sewed A Dress For A Baby Who Never Made It Home
  8. 4,180 Comments by Signers of the STOP Underrides! Petition in answer to the question, ” Why do you think Congress should pass the STOP Underrides! Bill?”
  9. Allen and Donna Smith, truck safety advocates for over ten years, have used their Ask the Trucker social media platform to raise awareness about the underride problem. Thank you, Allen & Donna!
  10. Ask the Trucker blogposts:
    Underride Guard Mandate: A Counterargument to Industry Opposition
    Unknown facts about underride crashes and prevention
  11. Podcast of Ask the Trucker BlogTalkRadio: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

Underride Story in Photos

 

More Incriminating Evidence Points To Needless Neglect of Preventable Death By Truck Underride

As I was getting ready to attend the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (ATA/TMC) Annual Meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Monday, I received an email with another document which points to the needless neglect of preventable Death By Truck Underride which has gone on for decades.

The latest piece of incriminating evidence just happened to be published in 2002 by the TMC themselves. It is entitled, TMC Future Truck Committee Information Report: 2002 — A Brief Look at the Far Horizon; An Exploration of What’s to Come for Trucking.

This document*, which was developed by the Technology & Maintenance Council’s (TMC) Future Truck Committee Far Horizons Subcommittee, predicted that there would be:

  • “Underride regulations for straight trucks (estimated)” [Single Unit Trucks] in 2005
  • “Frontal aggressivity regulations (tractors)” [Front Underride Protection] in 2006; and
  • “Side underride regulations for trailers (estimated)” in 2006.

Imagine! The trucking industry was predicting — 16 years ago — that there would be regulations in place 12 years ago to end preventable truck underride, yet they took no initiative to solve this engineering problem themselves! It has taken 2 moms (families), who lost daughters to this travesty in 2004 and 2013 (when the problem could have already been addressed), to push the industry and federal government to take action.

Not only that. . . there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight for this preventable highway carnage as the trucking industry continues to publicly oppose the STOP Underrides! Bill and the legislative offices, who could take action to move it forward, appear to be waiting for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to be completed on this issue — which could take a year to complete. Don’t we already have enough evidence, studies, reports, and recommendations* to indicate that this legislation will provide a practical solution to end an ongoing public health problem and should be given top priority?

Furthermore, though we had some encouraging meetings with trailer manufacturer leaders while at the conference, they could provide us with no timeline for when effective solutions might be available to prevent side underride or when upgraded rear guards will be offered as standard features on all trailers. In addition, although I have repeatedly attempted to organize a forum of manufacturers and engineers to collaboratively solve this problem more quickly, there is resistance to this idea — despite the claim that “Safety is not competitive.”

We know all too well that our daughters paid the price for the reality that safety is indeed, from all appearances, sacrificed to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

*The ATA/TMC Future Truck Committee (2002) report adds one more layer of proof that           truck underride has been a well-known and documented problem, including these         additional publications:

Podcast of Ask the Trucker BlogTalkRadio: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

You can listen here to the podcast of the talk show on March 3, 2018, hosted by trucker Allen Smith and his wife Donna — advocates for truckers for over 10 years:

Sat 3-3-18 6 PM ET  

On 12-12-17 U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) & Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Stop Underrides Act, S. 2219 legislation. Then U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) introduced the companion bill in the House, H.R. 4622

An ‘underride crash’ is when a car slides under the body of a large truck, such as a semi-trailer, during an accident. When these accidents happen, a car’s safety features are not able to protect passengers because most of the car slides under the trailer, and the truck crashes straight through the windows and into the passengers. 

The bill was originally drafted by our guests tonight, Marianne Karth and Lois Durso. Both Marianne and Lois have lost children due to underride crashes. Marianne & husband Jerry lost their 2 daughters, AnnaLeah and Mary in 2013, and Lois lost her daughter Roya in 2004. The bill was originally called the Roya, AnnaLeah and Mary Comprehensive Underride Protection Act of 2017 or the  RAMCUP Act of 2017—now known as STOP Underrides Act.

We’ll discuss solutions which can prevent underride crashes accounting for at least 300+ deaths per year. Show will include discussions regarding rear & sideguards. Few people realize that the 1969 Federal Register recorded that the Department of Transportation intended, after further study, to extend underride protection to the sides of large trucks.

Discussion includes: Costs, added weight, decreased Insurance costs, Loading docks, Axle/Tandems, distracted driving.
For more info stopunderrides@gmail.com  www.StopUnderRides.org

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truthabouttrucking/2018/03/03/underride-protection-act-of-2017–truck-rearguards-sideguards

“Unknown facts about underride crashes and prevention” featured on Ask The Trucker Radio Talk Show

March 3, 2018, on BlogTalkRadio, Ask The Trucker Talk Show hosts, Allen & Donna Smith, talk with Lois Durso, Jerry and Marianne Karth about truck underride and the bill: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

and write about it in their blog post: Unknown facts about underride crashes and prevention