All posts by Marianne

In Memory of Madalyn Grant (April 7, 2021)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

Officers say 22-year-old Madalyn T. Grant was driving north in a 2003 Honda Odyssey when it rear-ended a tractor-trailer that had stopped for a vehicle making a left turn. The Stevensburg, Virginia, resident was not wearing a seat belt, according to a VSP release.

Police say the 2015 Kenworth tractor-trailer was hit once it began moving. VSP: 22-year-old killed, truck driver injured in tractor-trailer 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.

Madalyn Grant, 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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of Randy Len Dupriest, Jr. (April 8, 2021)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

A 34-year-old Bush man was killed Thursday evening when he crossed into the southbound lane on Louisiana 21 in St. Tammany Parish and hit a tractor-trailer head-on, according to State Police.

Randy Len Dupriest Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was heading northbound when he traveled into the southbound lane and struck the tractor-trailer. . . Man killed in head-on collision with tractor-trailer in St. Tammany

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.

Randy Dupriest, Jr., 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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of Shane Jones (April 7, 2021)

Underride Crash Map

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

A preliminary investigation found Shane Jones, 31, of Louisville, was traveling south on Ky. 1020 in a 2008 Suzuki SL7 when his vehicle crossed the centerline for “unknown reasons” and hit a 2005 International dump truck head on, state police said. Louisville man killed in head-on crash with dump truck in Bullitt County, police say

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.

Shane Jones, 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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of Karen Guccione (April 6, 2021)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victim Tuesday night as Karen Guccione, a 49-year-old woman from Wildwood.

The highway patrol’s investigation found Guccione’s Chevy Malibu drove off the right side of the road and hit a concrete barrier. She got back into the eastbound lanes and hit the right side of a tractor-trailer. The truck then traveled off the right side of the road, pinning Guccione’s vehicle between the tractor-trailer and the concrete barrier. The tractor-trailer then caught on fire. Driver killed in crash with tractor-trailer on I-64 in St. Louis County

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.

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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

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In Memory of Dena Self Montgomery (April 4, 2021)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

Authorities say a 2007 Dodge Ram pickup, operated by 59-year-old Dena Self Montgomery of Temple, was traveling south on SH-36 near Burgundy Lane.

A 2009 Peterbilt truck tractor semi-trailer, operated by a 56-year-old man from Houston, was traveling north on SH-36 approaching the Dodge Ram.

According to DPS, the Dodge left the southbound lane and crossed the double yellow lines. The Dodge drove on the wrong side of the road and collided with the Peterbilt. Woman dies after pickup truck collides with truck tractor semi-trailer

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.

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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of George Baker (April 1, 2021)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

Texas DPS reports the driver of the car, George Baker, 72, of Stroud, OK, was killed in the crash; the passenger of the car was airlifted to John Peter Smith (JPS) with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured.

Both vehicles were driving on the US 287 service road when the semi-truck started to make a left turn onto the entrance ramp to south US 287. Baker’s car reportedly failed to yield the right of way and the vehicles crashed into each other head-on. One killed in semi-truck crash near Bowie

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.

George Baker, 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.)

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

How You Can Help

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 appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but I think that underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

What will it take to get UNDERRIDE on DOT Regulatory Agenda?

Truck Safety, , , , , ,

We’ve been waiting 52+ years for DOT to move forward with side guards on large trucks — not to mention improving rear guard regulations and adding front underride protection. After numerous petitions, comprehensive underride rulemaking still has not made it the onto the DOT Unified Regulatory Agenda.

A public commitment to Vision ZERO is lip service when it does not result in substantive action. What would constitute tangible progress?

1969 DOT Commitment to Add Side Guards to Trucks
1977 IIHS Appeal for Federal Action on Underride
1989 IIHS Status Report on Front Underride Protection

2011 IIHS petition to NHTSA concerning FMVSS 223 and 224

2013 & 2014 Petitions for Comprehensive Underride Rulemaking
2016 Petition for Comprehensive Underride Rulemaking
D.C. Underride Crash Test less than a mile from DOT, March 26, 2019
2021 Petition for Comprehensive Underride Rulemaking

Collaborative Discussion of Side Guard Challenges on Specialty Trucks

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,

I was very pleased with the collaborative discussion which took place via Zoom on Monday, March 29, 2021, regarding the challenges of adding side guard safety technology to specialty trucks. Participants included primarily engineers and small companies who have been working on researching, designing, and/or marketing solutions to the underride problem. The meeting was also quietly observed by families of underride victims and administrative officials from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Here is a summary of the discussion regarding the challenges of installing side guards on a variety of large trucks:

Discussion of Side Guards for Specialty Trucks – Underride Engineering Subcommittee

I have heard comments, in the past, that individuals and companies, which are designing, testing, and marketing innovative underride protection technology, are just in it to make money — as if they shouldn’t be trusted. I have found this to be far from the truth. I have observed selfless commitment to staying the course for the long haul to bring about solutions to a deadly problem which has been swept under the rug for far too long — with little hope, along the way, that there would be either a mandate or widespread voluntary adoption. Despite the decades of uncertainty, these resourceful people have held fast to this impossible dream.

The friendly and informative discussion among what-might-be-considered competitors was productive and appreciated. I hope that this meeting’s cooperative interaction to reach a shared goal is a foretaste of good things to come.

The March Madness of Competing Traffic Safety Interests

Safety Advocacy, , , , , , ,

What is it like to compete for the attention of government leaders in order to get traction on the traffic safety problem which took your loved one’s life? Envision a press conference on a hot topic where a cacophony of reporters can be heard shouting out — vying for the opportunity to have their question be the one that gets answered.

Only it is much worse because it seems fundamentally disturbing that we should be pitted against each other in endless competition for action on issues which are all vital to saving lives. In this process, we are fragmented and quite possibly give more power to the opposing forces.

Something’s wrong with this picture. And what I think that we need to turn things around is an Office of National Traffic Safety Ombudsman. Let’s appoint an Advocate with authority to be a strong voice for all of us and a means to bring us together – someone who will strengthen our efforts rather than leave us struggling in some kind of tournament where it is always win or go home.

Congressional Offices are continuously overwhelmed by pleas from advocates representing a multitude of concerns. And, although the Department of Transportation may have many fine individuals working on our behalf, there are clearly too many factors which put a stranglehold on effective action. I have not found that I could count on tangible progress from the agencies which are supposed to represent Safety and traffic victims and which have publicly committed to Vision Zero:

“At FHWA, we believe that a single death is a tragedy; almost 90 deaths a day is unacceptable when we possess the tools and capability to help prevent them. Reaching zero deaths will be difficult, will take time and will require significant effort from all of us; but it is the only acceptable vision. We’re not at zero yet, but we know that by working together we will see a day when there are no fatalities on the Nation’s roadways, sidewalks and bicycle paths.” On TOWARD ZERO DEATHS

“Safety is the top priority of the US DOT. For FHWA, this means a road system that is designed to protect its users, through implementing life-saving programs and infrastructure safety solutions. FHWA’s goal is to reduce transportation related fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system, and for this reason it fully supports the vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on the Nation’s roads. To support this vision, FHWA continues to work closely with our partners to advance safety culture and a safe system approach, encourage performance-driven transportation safety management practices, and advocate for the deployment of innovative safety countermeasures. Working together, we can strive toward zero, the only acceptable number. “ Zero Deaths – Saving Lives through a Safety Culture and a Safe System

Words without meaningful action do me no good. What is going to bring about significant change? Can we even agree on the need for a united front, an appointed spokesperson, and a nationwide network of concerned citizens to more effectively address all traffic safety concerns?

If we do not, my daughters’ deaths become diminished – their lives apparently not worth saving, along with 40,000 other precious loved ones lost last year and the year before that and the year before that and some 40,000 this year and the next and the next. . .

U.S.A. Crash Death Clock

Mary & her Gertie
Gertie & her Mary

Time for a National Traffic Safety Ombudsman

Safety Advocacy,

Almost five years ago, after delivering a Vision Zero Petition to leaders in Washington, D.C., I realized that we need something more than a White House Vision Zero Task Force and a National Vision Zero Goal. We need a National Traffic Safety Ombudsman to be at the helm of a nationwide network of community traffic safety advocates. Someone who will have a place at the federal table — with the authority to take ongoing action on behalf of vulnerable victims of vehicle violence.

Observing too little progress after countless hours of underride advocacy in the last 7+ years, and 18,998 days of waiting for DOT to make good on their 1969 commitment to add underride protection to the sides of large vehicles, I know for a fact that we need a vigilant voice in D.C. So I organized a meeting to discuss it last Friday, March 19, 2021.

This is the presentation which I shared to outline just why I think this executive action is so important:

National Traffic Safety Ombudsman PowerPoint 6

National Traffic Safety Ombudsman ppt printout white

National Traffic Safety Act Brochure

Will you join me in the call for this needed action? End Preventable Crash Fatalities: Appoint a National Traffic Safety Ombudsman

National Traffic Safety Ombudsman CHARTER – Draft 2021