Monthly Archives: May 2018

If you can do something to get better underride protection on trucks & you are reading this. . .

Truck Safety, , ,

If you can do something to get better underride protection on trucks and you are reading this, then I hope that you will listen closely.

I was in a terrible truck crash but I didn’t die because my part of the car did not go under the truck. It was my daughters’ part of the car which went under the truck. And I am reminded of that every single day. And it fills me with anguish and silent rage.

Like today, I went to the doctor’s to see if they could take out a piece of glass from the crash which I think is under the skin of my knee. (The same thing happened a year after the crash.) Last Friday, I noticed an odd bump under the skin, which I could move around with my finger. Only now it is hidden again.

If only some glass in their skin was the only problem which AnnaLeah and Mary had from the crash — instead of dying from underride. If only those who could have done something had acted in time to make sure that the truck we collided with was safer — along with hundreds of millions of other trucks which have been put on the road with vulnerable travelers.

Are you one of those people? What can you do to make sure that people don’t continue to die needlessly?

Safety is no accident. It takes somebody to do something to make it happen.

  Let’s make truck crashes more survivable.

Don’t I wish this were true: “Mom! Mom! Mrs. Karth got the law passed, Mrs. Karth got the law passed!!!”

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,
Prior to Our Crash on May 4, 2013, our family had become good friends with another family. Their youngest, a pre-schooler at the time, followed Mary (13) around and was sure that he was going to marry her. Last week, his mom shared this with me:
 
Marianne, a couple of days ago I took [her son, now 8] to WalMart. On the way out of the parking lot, he started YELLING, “Mom! Mom! Mrs. Karth got the law passed, Mrs. Karth got the law passed!!!”
 
Huh? What on earth was that boy talking about??? I turned around and there was a semi with the guards on the side! I had no idea he knew anything about what we’ve been talking about all these years! 🙂
 
I wish it were true. . . 
 
Bless his heart!!!!!! 🙂   What he likely saw was a side skirt for fuel savings ($).
 
I look forward to that day when we can all drive down the road and rejoice at the safer trucks because, finally, saving lives will have become more important than saving $! I will sing & dance & thank the Lord for all that He has done.
I’m sure that Mary & AnnaLeah — were they here — would join me!

Join My Underride Hero Hall of Fame & Leave a Legacy of Life: End Preventable Death By Underride 

Truck Safety,

Join my Underride Hero Hall of Fame & Leave a Legacy of Life: Act to End Preventable Death By Underride #STOPUnderrides S.2219/HR.4622.

There are many people who should be included in this underride hero “hall of fame” but whose photos I do not have.

Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!

Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind. . . John Donne

@SenJohnThune, Join My Underride Hero List & Leave a Legacy: Act to End Preventable Death By Underride

Truck Safety, ,

John Thune, Join my Underride Hero Hall of Fame & Leave a Legacy of Life: Act to End Preventable Death By Underride #STOPUnderrides S.2219/HR.4622

There are many people who should be included in this underride hero “hall of fame” but whose photos I do not have.

Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind. . . John Donne

“NHTSA’s King Side-Steps Keyless Question” — Reflective of Negligent Inaction to Complete Rulemaking

Truck Safety,

Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. reported on the recent confirmation hearing of Heidi King to become the NHTSA Administrator:

One note The Safety Record thought that everyone ought to hit a lot harder is that three automakers that we know of – Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler – have installed automatic engine shutoffs on at least some of their keyless models. Manufacturers hated NHTSA’s 2011 proposal because they thought the decibel level for the audible alert that would be required was too loud. Automakers are loathe to implement features that annoy their customers – it’s a thread of concern that continues to show up. That’s why an automatic engine shut-off, set for a reasonable length of time is a good engineered solution. The software fix is inexpensive modern vehicles contain all the required hardware to make this happen.  

In 2011, the agency rejected the possibility of such a regulation, arguing that they couldn’t pick an interval after which the vehicle would automatically shut down. But maybe it’s time to re-think that. Or maybe the agency will follow a time-honored tradition and wait long enough for 90 percent of the industry to do it voluntarily, and then publish a new Final Rule.

I have a better strategy for NHTSA to address the underride problem. Don’t wait around for the industry to get around to maybe someday perhaps voluntarily putting on improved rear guards on all trucks plus side guards plus front underride protection plus retrofitting the millions of trailers already on the road, along with Single Unit Trucks, and, of course, properly MAINTAIN them all.

No, instead, do a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) now that would mandate all of those good, life-saving things. And, by the way, benefit the industry as well in so many ways!

SUPPLEMENTAL RULEMAKING Guidelines

44,000+ STOP Underrides! Petition Signatures Posted on the Federal Register

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,
If you signed the STOP Underrides! Petition, your name is now on the Federal Register, along with 45,000 other Americans — letting the Department of Transportation know that we want them to mandate underride protection on all trucks.
 
See our petition signatures posted here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0058
Our petition asks for a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

Nomination Hearing Video for NHTSA Administrator Nominee Heidi King

Truck Safety, , , ,

The Senate Commerce Committee considered the nomination of Heidi King to be NHTSA Administrator on May 16, 2018. Here is the video from that hearing:

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=6D165DA3-EA0F-4F1C-B1D1-A039BE79107D

If Heidi King is confirmed to be NHTSA Administrator, will she take the reins and move decisively to solve the underride problem? Will Congress tell her to do so?

Perry Ponder Posts Public Comment on NHTSA Rear Underride NPRM

Truck Safety, , , ,

Perry Ponder, inventor of the AngelWing side guard, has made another great contribution in the pursuit of improved underride protection. Earlier this week, I saw that I had received a notification of a new public comment on the rear guard NPRM.

His letter begins with this comment:

As NHTSA moves at a glacial pace toward revising FMVSS 223 and 224, I’d like to point out an underride guard mode of failure I have observed while investigating a number of trailer and truck underride accidents.

 
> DOCUMENT ID:
> DOCUMENT TYPE: OTHER
> POSTED DATE: 05/14/2018
> DOCUMENT TITLE: Seven Hills Engineering
> – Letter
 I hope that Perry Ponder will be one of the members of the Committee On Underride Protection (COUP) which the STOP Underrides! Bill calls for in order to establish transparent, consistent, and ongoing communication and collaboration to help us more quickly end preventable Death By Underride.

Heidi King, NHTSA Nom. Hearing: Ranking Member Bill Nelson Opening Statement

Truck Safety, , , ,

The Senate Commerce Committee held a nomination hearing on May 16, which included Heidi King, nominee for the position of NHTSA Administrator. Senator Nelson (D-FL), Ranking Member, gave some opening remarks, including:

During today’s hearing, I hope Ms. King will provide a detailed plan on how she will demand accountability from those involved in the Takata fiasco and finally implement a real strategy to help drivers get safe airbags in their vehicles as soon as possible.

NHTSA also needs to do more to increase highway safety, including truck safety. 

One way to do this is to have more use of underride guards on trucks so that cars don’t slide underneath during collisions. 

The addition of this safety shield could have helped saved the lives of many, including Lois Durso’s daughter Roya. Lois is here today, along with other tireless advocates.

And I hope Ms. King has some answers for the Durso family on that issue.  They certainly deserve it. 

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?Id=6D165DA3-EA0F-4F1C-B1D1-A039BE79107D&Statement_id=1FB88826-73AA-49B2-8EEB-6756A07A33B7

Heidi King was grilled extensively about NHTSA’s inaction on several auto safety issues. I only wish that she had been asked to address the ongoing underride problem.

New NHTSA Study: Computer Modeling & Evaluation Of Side Underride Designs

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , ,

NHTSA has finally released the report from the side underride study which they commissioned Texas A&M to do in 2016-2017. Here is the press release:  https://www.nhtsa.gov/crashworthiness/truck-underride

The study: Computer Modeling and Evaluation Of Side Underride Protective Device Designs

More later on our analysis of the research.

Knee-jerk reaction: I am glad that they finally proceeded with technical studies on side underride. But countless lives have been lost since 1969 when DOT announced that they intended to extend underride protection on the sides of large trucks after technical studies were completed.

It is high time for someone to act responsibly. Either Senator Thune can respond and move the STOP Underrides Bill forward, or NHTSA can act on its own and do supplemental comprehensive underride rulemaking. Either way, many lives will be saved.

If they refuse to act appropriately, who should bear the blame for continued preventable underride tragedies?