Category Archives: Safety Advocacy

DOT Is Asking For Input. Tell Them To Give Crash Victims a Voice

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When it comes to changes needed to make our roads safer, who cares more deeply than crash survivors or victim families? The Department of Transportation is asking for the public to submit their comments on what should be included in the 2026 Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill; Secretary Duffy is looking for ideas to make our roads safer.

Let him know that you want victims to have a voice within the Department and that a means to do so has already been proposed by Senator Lujan and Congressman Cohen. The DOT Victim & Survivor Advocate Act would create a National Roadway Safety Advocate to serve as a voice for victims and survivors of roadway crashes and their families — ensuring their perspectives are considered in transportation safety policies.

I know from twelve years of road safety advocacy that this resource is extremely important but is not currently available to assist those who are keenly motivated to bring about change. Let Secretary Duffy know that you want him to put that plan into place.

Submit your Public Comment here no later than August 20, 2025.

(step-by-step instructions)

Then, please share this request to amplify your voice.

Podcast from Streetsblog, July 29, 2025, What Will It Take To Give Victims and Advocates a Voice at US DOT?

There are too many families like the ones who have told their stories below. They need to be heard. . .

I’m grateful for everyone who takes the time to submit a comment. You can see all comments submitted here. Running list of comments requesting a National Roadway Safety Advocate are here.

Quotes from supporters are available here (a list of safety groups and victim/survivors quoted in Senator Lujan & Congressman Cohen press release upon bicameral introduction of the DOT Victim & Survivor Advocate Act).

Good News: Stoughton extends IIHS-award-winning underride protection to container shipping

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , ,

Good news on underride protection: IIHS has given the TOUGHGUARD Award for rear impact underride protection on intermodal chassis trailers to Stoughton Trailers — the first trailer manufacturer to earn it and one of the largest chassis manufacturers in North America. Should this lead to speculations about what engineering ingenuity could actually produce — despite industry grumblings about the operational issues regarding underride protection, particularly at the sides of intermodal chassis trailers?

Underride guards that meet the Toughguard criteria are substantially more likely to withstand an impact, reducing the severity of the crash. Until now, only dry van, refrigerated and flatbed trailers have qualified. But with the growing importance of shipping containers in global trade, more and more freight is being transported using intermodal chassis.

Chassis-type trailers present a unique challenge when it comes to underride protection. The frame of a dry van, refrigerated or flatbed trailer extends across its entire wheelbase, supporting the underride guard for its full width. In contrast, an intermodal chassis is a ladderlike structure that lies between the trailer’s wheels to support the removable container.

For that reason, the underride guard required a completely new design. Instead of a vertical support attached to the trailer deck, the chassis guard features long, diagonal supports running from the guard’s outboard ends to the chassis rails. Stoughton Intermodal Chassis Earns Underride Guard Award

I’m grateful for Stoughton Trailers’ continued commitment to safety. Unfortunately, not every trailer manufacturer is equally safety-minded. And NHTSA has not shown an inclination to send a strong message to industry; in fact, they declined to include Stoughton’s dry van RIG solution in their regulatory analysis for a 2022 update of the rear guard rule. Decades of government and industry inaction means that there are still far too many (almost ALL of them) trucks on the road which do not have adequate underride protection.

Engineers know how to creatively solve problems. Give them a green light to SAVE LIVES!

What’s New In Underride?

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,

There’s nothing new about underride. Despite the fact that it has taken loved ones from us for decades, bringing an end to preventable underride continues to be an uphill battle. We fight on.

Here are some recent instances of underride getting media coverage:

And, by the way, in case you missed it, here are videos from crash testing of collisions between bicyclists and tractor-trailers — conducted by Aaron Kiefer in Raleigh at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol training facility on September 13, 2024. . .

Unguarded (no side guard) VRU Crash Test:

LPD+ Crash Test with Fully-Guarded Trailer:

Here are some posts I’ve written about Lateral Protection Devices+, i.e. side underride guards:

The proof is in the pudding. I rest my case.

Underride in the News

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety

There’s nothing new about underride. Despite the fact that it has taken loved ones from us for decades, bringing an end to preventable underride continues to be an uphill battle. We fight on.

Here are some recent instances of underride getting media coverage:

Will Victims & Survivor Advocates Be Given a Voice at DOT?

Safety Advocacy, , , , , , ,

Senator Lujan and Congressman Cohen recently re-introduced the DOT Victim & Survivor Advocate Act. Much appreciated. But will Congress and the Department of Transportation respond by establishing this vital position within the Office of the Secretary? Is Secretary Duffy truly dedicated to safety?

Read more here: Luján, Cohen Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Roadway Safety and Uplift Victim Voices at DOT

Certified Letters Alert Carriers of Underride Dangers, Liability & Solutions

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , ,

The fact that truck and trailer designs can potentially allow underride when there are collisions with passenger vehicles has a long history of being misunderstood. With that in mind, on October 12, 2024, we sent letters to two lists of “100 top carriers” in North America via Certified Mail. We wanted their Boards and CEOs to be aware of the September 2024 $462 million verdict in a product liability lawsuit against a trailer manufacturer for failing to install a protective rear guard, leading to two fatalities — indicating that juries will not accept more of these preventable deaths.

“We hope the decision the jurors reached sends a clear message to the trucking and trailer industry and will finally force them to build safer trailers,” CVN noted, quoting plaintiff co-counsel Brian Winebright https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wabash-national-hit-with-462m-verdict-in-trailer-equipment-case

 We also encouraged trucking companies to take steps to protect road users and their bottom line by making sure that their fleets are equipped with Rear Impact Guards (RIGs) which qualify for the IIHS TOUGHGUARD Award and side impact guards that prevent side underride fatalities.

The mailing list for the 200 companies can be found here.

The Carrier Letter Template can be found here. 

A similar Certified Mail Letter went out to carriers in 2020. Relevant information is posted here.

Further details and copies of delivery receipts can be obtained by contacting marianne@annaleahmary.com.

Risky Rigs: Thousands of people have died after their car slid under a tractor-trailer

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

How many underride investigative reports will it take to finally bring about government regulations and industry cooperation to end preventable death by underride? Tampa Bay 10 recently aired the results of their year-long underride investigation.

PART 1 – Risky Rigs: Thousands of people have died after their car slid under a tractor-trailer

PART 2 – Risky Rigs: Thousands of people have died after their car slid under a tractor-trailer

NHTSA’s Neglect of Underride Protection Deserves Congressional Oversight

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

CALL TO ACTION – November 2024

Tell Congress that you want them to exercise their oversight of the federal roadway safety agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Call the U.S. Congress Switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and ask for each of the following members of the Senate Commerce Committee. Tell them that you want them to hold an Underride Oversight Hearing in the 2024 lame duck session:

  • Senator Maria Cantwell
  • Senator Gary Peters
  • Senator Ted Cruz
  • Senator Todd Young

This video explains why an oversight hearing is vital: NHTSA’s Neglect of Underride Protection Deserves Congressional Oversight.

Please make these phone calls now. Thank you.

Underride Crash Test Videos

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , ,

If a picture is worth a thousand words, an underride crash test video is worth at least a million. Nothing is more convincing of the fact that underride protection can mean the difference between life and death. Well, nothing except viewing a crash test in person.

To that end, here is a sample of crash test videos which serve to document the technical effectiveness of underride protective devices — more startling when juxtaposed against crash tests with no underride protection or too-weak designs.

The difference a well-designed rear underride guard can make
Benefits of side underride guards for semitrailers
Underride Crash Tests – Unguarded Trailer vs Guarded Trailer
D.C. Underride Crash Test: Left Side Overall Vertical
Crash Test of Rear Reinforcement Attachment

In case you need a reminder, these crash tests are not conducted merely to satisfy curiosity, but in an effort to bring an end to ongoing preventable, unimaginable underride tragedies.

Fleet Managers, Please take note:

Trailer Safety: How to prevent underride crashes and save lives

$462M Jury Verdict Over Rear Impact Guard Design

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , ,

For over 50 years, NHTSA has failed to require truck trailers to be equipped with underride guards that protect road users from death and injury. The industry has lobbied to keep it that way and tens of thousands of innocent people have lost their lives as a result. This week, a St. Louis jury made a trailer manufacturer pay a just price.

Why would the jury do so? Could it have been because Wabash continued to sell an inadequate rear impact guard as standard equipment — even though they have a safer option available — and because of the industry’s opposition and the government’s abandonment of public safety?

Justice has been served.

MEDIA COVERAGE