Too often, families of underride victims not only face the trauma of horrific, unexpected, and preventable death by underride but they, also, have to deal with the frustration of failure to convince their U.S. legislators to support change.
On August 19, we hosted another Underride Staff Briefing — this time via Zoom. We are providing Congressional Offices with the PowerPoint pdf from that presentation, including comments from engineers with expertise in underride as well as underride families.
Underride tragedies happen to the constituents of every elected official. They’ve been made fully aware of both the deadly problem and its available engineering solutions. The ball is in your court, Congress. Do your job.
Perry Ponder, who first brought the 1969 DOT discussion of side underride protection to my attention in 2016 and has invented the AngelWing side guard, recently submitted another Public Comment to NHTSA. He addresses industry concerns about side guards — providing thorough documentation.
IIHS Side Guard Crash Test, March 20, 2017
An excerpt of Ponder’s 2020 comments: Continuing to allow truck and trailer induced PCI in rear and side underride crashes to occur at otherwise survivable crash speeds (delta-V’s of 45mph and beyond) discards years of crashworthiness efforts and wastes the safety benefits we have come to expect and pay for in our cars.
From an engineering perspective the need for vehicle crash compatibility in the form of adequate heavy truck underride guarding is apparent in order to protect against the hazard of PCI which exposes the vulnerable head and neck region to severe, potentially fatal or crippling injury. This hazard is easily remedied by readily available materials and simple structural analysis. Read more here.
Here is Perry’s 2016 Public Comment in which he asked for NHTSA to extend underride protection to the sides of trucks and mentioned that it was the original intent of the underride rulemaking in 1969. This is what the Federal Highway Administration said at that time,
It is anticipated that the proposed standard will be amended, after technical studies have been completed, to extend the requirement for underride protection to the sides of large vehicles.
Imagine! In 1969.
Here is that 1969 document:
This was the original intent of NHTSA rulemakers in the 1969 NPRM, Docket No. 1-11; Notice 2.
Both AnnaLeah and Mary would have reached some milestones in 2020. AnnaLeah would have celebrated having lived a quarter of a century on May 15 — had her life not ended in a truck underride crash on May 4, 2013, at the age of 17.
Mary would be turning 21 on August 6 — had her life not ended on May 8, 2013, due to a truck underride crash at the age of 13.
Their coming of age stories will never be written.
My favorite place in the world, Woods on the Lake, a 14-acre property on Lake Michigan with 7 cottages, is up for sale. It would be a dream come true for Jerry and me to acquire, and make more accessible, this outdoor space which has provided recreation, rest, and renewal for so many families.
This is where I tell about our dream. . .
Would you like to help us realize this dream? In the event that we are unable to purchase Woods on the Lake, all donations will go to Pioneer County Park, where I camped as a child and which borders the property on the north, for ongoing accessibility projects In Memory of AnnaLeah & Mary .
Though it may seem questionable to take on such an endeavor during a pandemic, we look forward to a time in the future when many can enjoy this facility and would plan to use these unusual circumstances to update and expand an already wonderful West Michigan resource.
The dune steps are quite a challenge at present!
In 2010, we discovered that Jerry, along with some of our nine children, has a progressive hereditary condition, Charcot Marie Tooth , which makes it harder to do things like climb stairs or walk very far without getting fatigued. So, whereas when the kids were little the steps to the beach weren’t a big deal, we now look for vacation rentals which are more accessible. That’s not always easy to find.
Because of that, Jerry and I have tons of ideas about how we could make this home-away-from-home even better by making it accessible to families and individuals with disabilities — a wheelchair accessible ramp down the dune to the lakeshore, a mat on the beachfront for wheelchairs , wheelchair swing , wheelchairs which can go into the water, and so on. We envision a wheelchair-accessible trail through the woods to connect with Pioneer County Park , which borders this amazing property to the north. How about a frisbee disc golf course along the trail? Or how about a taxi bike ?
This particular vacation spot is full of wonderful memories, and will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our daughters, AnnaLeah & Mary, along with their brothers & sisters, enjoyed building sandcastles and splashing in the waves, roasting marshmallows around a campfire, and taking walks along the shore.
It was to Woods on the Lake that our family came to stay from our home in North Carolina when we had to make the heart-wrenching journey back to Michigan to bury the girls after a truck underride crash on May 4, 2013, took them from us. And that is why we’d also like to build a lodge to host retreats and workshops for families who face the challenges of disabilities or loss.
Contact us for more information: marianne@annaleahmary.com
When a vehicle goes under a big truck, it’s called an underride crash. This type of crash is extremely dangerous and completely preventable. Installing better guards on big trucks would prevent this type of crash.
There is an Infrastructure Bill being considered by the House Transportation & Infrastucture Committee called the INVEST in America Act which includes underride legislation. We are also waiting for the Senate Commerce Committee to introduce their version of an Infrastructure Bill soon. We are hoping it will include underride legislation.
Become part of the solution by sending an email TODAY to U.S. Legislators in Congress. Tell them that you want them to support Underride Legislation in the Infrastructure Bill.
Members of the U.S. Congress U.S. Senators – Get contact information for your Senators in the U.S. Senate. U.S. Representatives – Find the website and contact information for your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. Find your Rep by zip here.
You can also tag them on a Tweet. Use these hashtags: #STOPunderrides#UnderrideVictimsMatter.
Thank you for taking action. Share this message with your friends so we can make a significant impact at a crucial time.
UPDATE, June 18, 2020: Thank you to those who took action. The Garcia Amendment passed. The Cohen Amendment did not pass.
When a vehicle goes under a big truck, it’s called an underride crash. This type of crash is extremely dangerous and completely preventable. Installing better guards on big trucks would prevent this type of crash. There is a bill being considered now under the INVEST in America Act which would require these life saving guards.
The Infrastructure Bill includes an Underride Section.
Become part of the solution by sending an email TODAY to U.S. Representatives on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I). They will be considering the INVEST in America Act on Wednesday, June 17, at 10:00 a.m. in a live hearing.
Use this website link to search for your U.S. Representative, or ones from your state who are on the T&I Committee. Send these two simple messages in your own words — asking them to make trucking safer by:
Supporting the Cohen Amendment 089 to strengthen the Underride legislation in the INVEST in America Act by directing NHTSA to do a pilot program in order to prove that underride protection is effective and technically feasible.
Supporting the Garcia Amendment 062 which will raise the Minimum Insurance Liability for truck companies from $750,000 – an amount set in 1980 – to $2 million in a simple adjustment for inflation. This needed change has been neglected for decades and will help not only truck crash victims but also truck drivers, who are often victims of truck crashes. It creates a financial incentive to enforce safety.
Late-breaking addition: Ask them to OPPOSE the Perry Amendment 115, which strikes Automatic Emergency Braking from the Bill. This amendment appears to be getting in the way of advancing crash avoidance technology to prevent or reduce the severity of crashes. Why would they want to do that?
Watch this short video which vividly tells the story of Mike, a truck crash victim who was impacted by the woefully-low insurance requirement:
You can also tag them on a Tweet.
Thank you for taking action. Share this message with your friends so we can make a significant impact at a crucial time.
Finally, we’re getting someplace in our efforts to make trucking safer. Legislation is being considered which looks promising to address the issues from our AnnaLeah & Mary Stand Up For Truck Safety Petition in 2014.
You can become part of the solution by making a quick phone call or send an email to U.S. Representatives on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I). They will be considering the INVEST in America Act on Wednesday, June 17, at 10:00 a.m. in a live hearing.
Use this website link to search for your U.S. Representative, or ones from your state who are on the T&I Committee. Send these two simple messages in your own words — asking them to make trucking safer by:
Supporting the Cohen Amendment 089 to strengthen the Underride legislation in the INVEST in America Act by directing NHTSA to do a pilot program in order to prove that underride protection is effective and technically feasible.
Supporting the Garcia Amendment 062 which will raise the Minimum Insurance Liability for truck companies from $750,000 – an amount set in 1980 – to $2 million in a simple adjustment for inflation. This needed change has been neglected for decades and will help not only truck crash victims but also truck drivers, who are often victims of truck crashes. It creates a financial incentive to enforce safety.
Watch this short video which vividly tells the story of Mike, a truck crash victim who was impacted by the woefully-low insurance requirement:
Thank you for taking action. Share this message with your friends so we can make a significant impact at a crucial time.
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.
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.
