Category Archives: Safety Advocacy

What’s New In Underride? Both Action & Inaction

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

Despite the COVID-19 shutdown of many activities, there is a lot happening related to truck underride. Here’s a quick summary:

  • While we hope for April showers to bring May flowers, this year I was encouraged to see that the April 17 Side Guard Task Force Meeting led to multiple May Subcommittee meetings of an informal but active Underride Protection Committee — Engineering, Awareness, Advocacy, Research and Industry Engagement meetings have all taken place. Underride Protection Committee brochure
  • We also launched the SaferTruck System Award Program to encourage fleets to voluntarily adopt these life saving features. SaferTruck System Awards
  • In May, the FMCSA published a report [A Literature Review of Lateral Protection Devices on Trucks Intended for Reducing Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities] on the pedestrian safety truck side guard study [Study of Truck Side Guards to Reduce Pedestrian Fatalities] completed last year by Volpe Transportation Center. The conclusion acknowledges that pedestrians and cyclists could be saved by what they term Lateral Protection Devices. But the report notably fails to discuss a cost benefit analysis — included in the Volpe report — or make any recommendations. So, why did taxpayers foot a $200,000 bill for research that might not result in tangible action to save lives?
  • Guess what! I just checked and the FMCSA clearly revised the webpage from when I visited it in January 2020. The page no longer states this information (which I fortunately recorded in an email): “Five key tasks are included in this project: (1) study interaction of a potential side guard with other truck parts and accessories (e.g., fuel tanks, fire extinguisher, exhaust system) and the implications for a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation; (2) investigate applicable international side guard standards; (3) perform a preliminary cost-benefit analysis of truck side guard deployment; (4) propose recommendations; and (5) propose means for voluntary adoption.“
  • Instead, that page now says: “This research product contains a literature review of regulations and effectiveness studies in other countries. The effectiveness estimates from studies in other countries cannot be applied to the U.S.—in part because of different regulatory and infrastructure environments— “ What?! That’s it?! What about all of the other information included in the $200,000 study? Where’s the CBA?
  • The FULL study (not simply the literature review) needs to be made available to the Senate Commerce Committee, the House T&I Committee, and the Underride Protection Committee — including the vehicle part interactions report, the cost-benefit analysis report, the Draft final report, and the FINAL Report. Period.
  • The Dragon launch on May 30 and the docking with the international space station on May 31 proves that we still know how to solve problems. Let’s apply that to deadly underride!
This geometric mismatch will lead to preventable tragedies until we do something about it.

Sign a Letter of Support for the SaferTruck Underride Safety Initiative

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

In order to encourage trucking companies to buy and drive safer trucks, AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety has created decals to affix to trucks which have installed a stronger rear guard and/or added side guards — thereby meeting safety standards for rear and side underride protection, as spelled out in the STOP Underrides Bill.

In hopes that this recognition of fleet safety leadership will help to prevent the loss of other precious lives, we launched this program on May 4, 2020 –remembering our loss of AnnaLeah and Mary in an underride crash seven years earlier on May 4, 2013.

You can endorse this underride safety initiative by signing a Letter of Support here:

AnnaLeah & Mary Karth. . . Would they think this was an AWESOME idea?

Safer Trucks To Receive Commemorative Awards For Contribution to Safer Roads

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , , , , , ,
Jerry attached the first SaferTruck Bono Award to a trailer in the process of being upfitted with a Rear Reinforcement Attachment and a full-length side guard system.

In order to encourage trucking companies to buy and drive safer trucks, AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety has created decals to affix to trucks which have installed a stronger rear guard and/or added side guards — thereby meeting safety standards for rear and side underride protection, as spelled out in the STOP Underrides Bill.

In hopes that this recognition of fleet safety leadership will help to prevent the loss of other precious lives, we are launching this program on May 4, 2020, as we remember our loss of AnnaLeah and Mary in an underride crash seven years ago on May 4, 2013.

The SaferTruck System Bono Award is for trucks on which a stronger rear underride guard has been installed to prevent underride deaths at the rear of trucks. We chose this name in reference to the patron saint, Beuno or Bono (Latin, bonus = good), known for the protection of children  — using the image of Mary’s beloved stuffed toy St. Bernard, Gertie.

Statue of Mary’s Gertie at the girls’ gravesite
Mary with her beloved Gertie in 2012

The SaferTruck System Christopher Award is for trucks which have had side guards installed to prevent underride deaths at the sides. We chose this name in reference to the patron saint/advocate of travelers, Christopher — keeping in mind AnnaLeah’s love of medieval history and dragons.

Dragon statue at the gravesite
AnnaLeah’s stuffed toy dragon
AnnaLeah with her nephew
AnnaLeah with her niece and nephew, 2012
Mary and her Gertie in a photoshoot by her sister Susanna, circa 2010

With special thanks to Mary & AnnaLeah’s brother, Isaac Karth, who created the designs for these two SaferTruck System awards.

Safer Trucks Receive Commemorative Awards for Contribution to Safer Roads flipbook

SaferTruck System Awards Program brochure

Sign a Letter of Support for the SaferTruck System Awards Program

In Memory of Alex Wolf

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

Alex [Wolf] was killed last week when his bike was hit by a semi during a turn near 12 Street and Linden Avenue in Minneapolis. Police are still investigating the crash. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/father-mourns-son-killed-in-bicycle-accident/89-85b48940-f255-43a7-842b-3878e8981a0f

MPD investigating deadly crash involving a bicyclist: https://www.kare11.com/article/traffic/mpd-investigating-fatal-crash-involving-a-bicyclist/89-4870b647-4b53-42c2-bfea-869fe10c6e39

Advocates form “Human Wall” to call for bike safety: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/advocates-form-human-wall-to-call-for-bike-safety/89-13e4cf03-c1e8-4d45-a13b-8c7f505e4f2d

See more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials.To add 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.)

All this talk of side skirts for fuel savings & not one word about side guards for life saving!

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , ,

A recent article from Transport Topics caught my eye. It’s all about this & that concerning side skirts on trailers (for fuel savings). Lots for a trailer buyer to consider when making a decision.

Installing the complete system takes 2.5 man-hours, he said.

Wikipedia has to say this about cost: As of 2009, a set of trailer skirts cost between C$1500 and C$3000 (US$1300 to $2700). Standard trailer skirts have an estimated payback period of ten to eighteen months, while “advanced” skirts (those that improve fuel efficiency by over 7%) are estimated to pay for themselves in seven to fourteen months.

Seriously?! An AngelWing side guard can be installed in close to that amount of time. And if side guards were socially acceptable and widely embraced so that they readily available to purchase (you know how supply and demand works, right?), the price could quite likely be comparable. Plus side guards may enhance fuel savings when used with side skirts.

So why the fuss from the industry about the cost of LIFE-SAVING side guards!?

Read the whole article for yourself and tell me why there is such resistance to installing comprehensive and effective underride protection and outright opposition toward a mandate which would require it.

What have we been waiting for since March 19, 1969? A law to prevent people from dying under the side of trucks.

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,
  1. Fifty-one years ago, on March 19, 1969, (I learned in 2016) the US DOT was recorded as saying that they intended “after technical studies have been completed, to extend the requirement for underride protection to the sides of large vehicles.”
  2. They have not done so (even though it has been proven possible & technical studies have been done) — just like they have not mandated rear guards to be stronger or front guards to be installed.
  3. Inaction at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.
  4. On March 19, 1969, I was thirteen years old. Little did I know about what they had said or that in 8 years I would get married on March 19, 1977 (43 years ago today), that in the ensuing years I would bear nine children, teach them at home, raise most of them to adulthood, and bury two of them due to preventable Death By Underride.
Participate in the Side Guard Task Force Meeting via Zoom, April 17

Wabash Engineer Left a Valuable Legacy: A Side Underride Guard Patent

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , ,

In November 2017, Lois Durso and I were privileged to meet the inventor of this design –Wabash engineer, Rod Ehrlich — along with his son Mark Ehrlich, who have been a vital part of this important research. Rod died in October 2018, after a long career of useful contributions to the trailer industry — including more than 60 patents, and most recently a side underride guard patent.

Wabash National continues their side underride protection R&D, as evidenced by a side underride guard patent filed on April 17, 2018, and issued on February 4, 2020. The prototype was introduced in a September 2017 commercial vehicle show in Atlanta.

“A side underride system configured to be coupled to a trailer may comprise a first skirt wall coupled to the trailer, positioned below a first side wall of the trailer, and extending along a first length of the trailer between a skirt wall front end and a skirt wall rear end and a cable system including a first cable coupled to the trailer, positioned below the first side wall, and extending along a second length of the trailer between a cable system front end and a cable system rear end, the skirt wall rear end being positioned forward of the cable system rear end.” https://patents.justia.com/patent/10549797

Wabash 2020 SUG patent (1)

In fact, we were able to see a successful crash test of his design. As evidenced by Rod’s work, along with that of many other engineers, this country has the talent to bring about effective solutions to deadly underride. Unfortunately, the lack of a mandate is holding the trucking industry back from moving forward with tangible action to once and for all get it on the road.

Let’s grab the baton from Rod’s legacy. Surely we can put our heads together and reach the finish line in the long-standing pursuit of that elusive goal: underride protection on the sides of all large trucks so that we might save lives and prevent horrific injuries.

Lois Durso-Hawkins, Atlanta TMC Conference, March 2018
Wabash side impact guard prototype, March 2018, Atlanta TMC Conference

Congressman Price Questions Secretary Chao About DOT’s Plan To Address GAO Truck Underride Recommendations

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , ,

What is DOT going to do about deadly truck underride? That is the question.

On February 27, 2020, at an Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on DOT’s 2021 Budget Request, Congressman David Price (D-NC) asked Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao about DOT’s plans to address the GAO truck underride recommendations. Here’s her reply:

“We actually just talked about this just yesterday. So this is a priority. We understand it. We do have a timeline & we want to get that to you.”   @SecElaineChao

I’m looking forward to seeing DOT’s timeline for addressing GAO Truck Underride Recommendations. I’m hoping that it will reflect a decision to make underride a priority. After all, rear underride regulations have not been updated since 1996, we’ve been waiting for DOT to act on side underride regulations for fifty-one years, and there’s been radio silence on front underride/override.

And it may well be more as underride deaths are vastly undercounted.

Underride can happen to anyone at any time anywhere.

An Exhaustive Look at Truck Underride: “Moms want Congress to prevent the kind of truck crashes that killed their daughters”

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

Raleigh News&Observer reporter Richard Stradling attended our workshop on underride, Turning Tragedy Into Advocacy: Two moms on a mission to make truck crashes more survivable, at the North Carolina Vision Zero Traffic Safety Conference on August 6, 2019. It inspired him to investigate the underride issue and this week he published the result of his in-depth research:

Moms want Congress to prevent the kind of truck crashes that killed their daughters

I appreciate the time he took to present the viewpoints of multiple stakeholders and then go a step further. He provided a platform for counterargument, allowing us to question or challenge potentially misleading information so that the reader could be more fully informed and not left with the wrong impression.

Save the Date (April 17): Side Guard Task Force Meeting

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The Purpose of this meeting will be to collaboratively discuss Strategies to Solve the Side Underride Problem

UPDATE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are changing the format of this to a Zoom meeting. Let us know if you would like to join us!

1. Opening Remarks

2. Setting the Stage for our Consensus Task: Systems Thinking Group Exercise to identify systemic factors impacting resolution of the underride problem, Kristin Hassmiller Lich & Becky Naumann, UNC SPH

3. Collaborative Discussion of Specifications for Side Guards, Andy Young, Facilitator

4. Lunch

5. Collaborative Discussion of a Plan for Implementation of Industry-wide Installation of Side Guard Solutions, Andy Young, Facilitator

6. Wrapping up: Next Steps in This Process

Side Guard Task Force SAVE THE DATE 2