Category Archives: Truck Safety

In 1969, DOT planned to add side guards after technical studies. Well, they’ve been completed. Now what?

Truck Safety, , , , , ,

Well, on the way home from DC on Amtrak, I read Computer Modeling & Evaluation Of Side Underride Protective Device Designs — the 90-page side underride research report published in April 2018 by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute from a study they did through a NHTSA contract. Here are my preliminary thoughts. . .

From the report’s Introduction:

Use of side underride protection devices (SUPDs) has been suggested to mitigate passenger car underride during impacts with the side of a trailer. SUPDs attach to the frame of the trailer and act as a guard or a barrier to prevent the impacting passenger car from underriding the truck. However, attachment of additional weight to the truck is viewed unfavorably by some due to the related increase in fuel consumption and reduction in cargo capacity.

Past studies have looked at designing SUPDs for 90-degree impacts with passenger cars at speeds up to 50 mph (Bodapati, 2006; Galipeau-Belair, 2014). Different design impacts may result in different SUPD characteristics and weight. If the design impact conditions are
changed from 90-degree impacts to oblique impacts, it may be possible to further reduce the weight of the SUPDs, thus making them more favorable for use on heavy trucks.

[Besides hoping to get the trucking industry to agree to a lighter weight side guard — and assuming that they would get resistance to a rulemaking with a heavier guard], why would the Department of Transportation (NHTSA) commission a study of guards to prevent only oblique angle (less than 90 degrees) side impacts? Especially when there is talk of a weight exemption (with the legislation) for the underride safety equipment.

Presumably, these lighter weight guards would not stop cars impacting a truck at 90 degree angles. Yet, we know that many people have died and are dying from both 90 degree or T-bone crashes as well, like these two cases:

Are we going to issue a rule that will protect people from some side underride crashes but not others — even though it is technologically and practically feasible? Really?!

What was the point of designing the study that way — as directed by NHTSA? In my opinion, that research money could have been better spent — since we already have proof that cars can be stopped in a T-bone crash at 40 mph. Like on research to prevent front underride/override or to find the outer limits of rear underride protection (are the updated rear guards as strong as they could be?) — as called for in the STOP Underrides! Bill.

In 1969, DOT planned on adding side guards to trucks after technical studies had been completed. Well, they’ve been completed. We’ve been waiting almost 50 years. Will they act now?

Let’s get the Committee On Underride Protection (COUP) established immediately — as called for in the STOP Underrides! Bill. Let’s get engineers, along with an interdisciplinary team, talking together and collaboratively communicating to inform effective actions. Daylight’s burning!

Note: As I hear from engineers, I will share their feedback as well.

 

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Hearing on Motor Carrier Provisions, 10 a.m. 5/22/18

Truck Safety, , ,

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Highways & Transit Subcommittee is holding a hearing at 10 a.m. today on FAST Act Implementation: Motor Carrier Provisions.

The hearing will be livestreamed here: https://transportation.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=402444

Summary of Subject Matter

Witness List:

Panel I:

  • The Honorable Ray Martinez, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationPanel II:
  • Mr. Dale Krapf, Chairman, Krapf Transportation
  • Mr. Mike VanMaanen, Owner, Eastern Missouri Commission Company; on behalf of Livestock Marketing Association
  • Captain Christopher Turner, President, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
  • Ms. Jennifer Tierney, Board Member, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways; on behalf of Truck Safety Coalition

I hope to hear some discussion of TRUCK UNDERRIDE.

Underride Story in Photos

Underride Roundtable

 

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.