Monthly Archives: September 2022

Successful Side Guard Crash Test in Raleigh

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,

While we wait for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete their side #underride research this year, we continue to do our own research to demonstrate how deadly underride can be prevented. On September 13, we did a crash test in Raleigh at 35 mph into Aaron Kiefer’s (Collision Safety Consulting) latest side guard design.

The crumple zone worked to prevent Passenger Compartment Intrusion (PCI). The windshield didn’t even crack. The airbag deployed. It was a smashing success!

As Aaron Kiefer reflects on the future, he is encouraged that the industry is starting to listen. He points out how we’ve proven that preventing side underride is possible, practical, and reasonable. He observes that we are at the edge of the beginning of the end of side underride tragedies. Aaron is hopeful that both the manufacturers and NHTSA will take note and find a way to move this forward in a timely fashion. “It’s a great time for underride safety,” says Aaron.

Raleigh engineer creating, testing truck underride crash barriers

Other media coverage:

There’s only one way to know if this safety device for trucks works: Crash a car into it: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article265716861.html

Watch a crash test of a new safety guard for tractor-trailer trucks https://www.newsobserver.com/…/local/article265742746.html

‘At first glance, it’s fairly effective’: Raleigh engineer creating, testing truck underride crash barriers https://www.cbs17.com/…/at-first-glance-its-fairly…/

We are grateful to so many people who made this important event possible and successful, including:

  • the amazing volunteer crash test crew;
  • the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for the use of their training facility, grounds, fire truck (to fill the water barricades), and general assistance to make it happen;
  • Copart for providing us with a crash car, including drop off and pick up after the crash;
  • Area Wide Protective (AWP) traffic control services for providing us with the use of water barricades and skinny drums to provide a safety zone for spectators and camera crew;
  • Dean’s Wrecker Service for transporting the crash trailer to the crash test site;
  • Accident Research Specialists of Cary for their expertise in crash test preparation;
  • Maverick Metalworks for their custom-design metal components for the side guard system;
  • Cargo Control USA of Sanford for the polyester webbing; and
  • Sonia Barnes for coming to view the crash test on behalf of Congressman David Price.

Remembering AnnaLeah & Mary, & countless others.

In Memory of Carl Forss (September 12, 2022)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

A person was killed Monday morning in a crash on Interstate 20 involving a pickup and a tractor-trailer.

The victim was identified as 71-year-old Carl Forss, of Watkinsville. . .

A witness reported that “a truck was literally embedded in the back of a semi.” 71-year-old driver dies when pickup is ‘embedded’ in semi during I-20 crash

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Carl Forss, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

How You Can Help

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports

In Memory of Edison Kimball (September 8, 2022)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

Six-year-old Edison Kimball died Thursday after a semi-truck crashed into his family’s SUV on I-215. Kimball was in the car with his mother, Kristi, and sister, Ruby who were both hospitalized after the collision. Ruby is in critical condition in the ICU at Primary Children’s Hospital. 

According to Utah Highway Patrol, the family’s SUV was struck, causing them to crash into four other vehicles, hospitalizing nine people. 6-year-old dies in semi-truck accident, 9 others hospitalized

About 4:18 p.m., a Volvo semitruck hauling six vehicles on an auto carrier was driving west on I-215 in Midvale, the Utah Highway Patrol said.

Based on early investigation, troopers believe that the semitruck was traveling at a “high rate of speed” when it approached slow-moving traffic in the right lane just before the merging lane onto westbound Union Park. It then struck a Hyundai Palisade occupied by a woman and three children, UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden said.

“Following the initial impact with the Hyundai Palisade, the Volvo semitruck impacted four other vehicles which came to rest blocking all of I-215 westbound,” the UHP said. Child dies, 3 others critically injured in multivehicle crash on I-215 in Midvale

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Edison Kimball, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

How You Can Help

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports

NHTSA Failing To Educate Stakeholders On Underride

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , ,

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that their mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement. They seem to do a decent job of informing the public with a webpage on driver assistance technologies. However, the NHTSA Truck Underride Page only contains a very short list of studies. This is the extent of entries on that page:

For a century-old problem, there is actually a wealth of research, reports, and recommendations available. As a national traffic safety leader, NHTSA could be a source of all things underride. In fact, by posting a broader set of underride specific information, NHTSA could make use of their website to better inform and inspire all stakeholders at the same time without fear of unfairly communicating with one stakeholder. This would fulfill the first purpose of the Administrative Procedures Act which “requires agencies to keep the public informed and up-to-date on agency activities.”

On September 2, “TEAM Underride” met via Zoom to discuss how we could aid NHTSA in that mission by making recommendations for additions to the NHTSA Truck Underride Page. In an attempt to be helpful, TEAM Underride participants briefly brainstormed ideas for what we thought would be useful to add to the NHTSA Truck Underride webpage, including:

That would be a good start. And we’re more than willing to help in whatever way we can to get this resource development underway.

In Memory of Carol James (September 6, 2022)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office says 82-year-old Carol James, from Northfield, died after her 2020 Buick Envision crossed into the northbound lane of County Road 23 and collided with a FedEx semi-truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. 82-year-old killed in crash with FedEx truck identified

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Carol James, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

How You Can Help

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports

In Memory of Emanuel Sentel Burgess (September 6, 2022)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

The tractor-trailer was traveling north on Highway 52 and the truck was traveling south on Highway 52 when it crossed the median and hit the tractor-trailer, according to Master Trooper Brian Lee. . .

The driver of the truck was identified as Emanuel Sentel Burgess, 41, of Coward, according to Florence County coroner Keith von Lutcken. Victim of deadly Florence County crash involving tractor-trailer identified: Coroner

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Emanuel Sentel Burgess, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

How You Can Help

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports

In Memory of Eduard Chekhun (September 3, 2022)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

Eduard Chekhun was driving south at a high speed when he crashed into the back of the semi tractor-trailer, Indiana State Police said late Saturday night. The semi was stopped because of traffic congestion. Tennessee man dead after fiery crash on I-65 in downtown Indianapolis Saturday

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Eduard Chekhun, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

How You Can Help

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports