Road Safety Audit (RSA); One way to make our roads safer

Safety Advocacy,

It is heartening to know that there are many people working to make the roads safer. This video gives a glimpse of how tribal leaders are trying to protect their people:

What can you do to make the roads safer?

 

Senate Subcommittee Hearing “Continuing to Improve Truck Safety on our Nation’s Highways”.

Truck Safety

Lois Durso traveled from her home in Florida and I traveled from my home in North Carolina to Washington, DC, to attend a Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrasturcture, Safety, & Security Hearing: “Continuing to Improve Truck Safety on our Nation’s Highways”.

Union Station, Washington, DC

Heading for DC to Discuss the Need for the Best Possible Underride Protection on All Trucks

Truck Safety, , , , , ,
This is why we are working so hard to get better underride protection. This is why I am getting up early tomorrow morning to get on Amtrak headed for DC to meet with DOT and the Senate Commerce Committee. Pray for fruitful meetings.

COMPARE THIS: A real-life underride death prevented by a new rear underride guard: New Stoughton Rear Underride Guard Proven Successful In Real Life Crash; Driver Survives

TO THIS: A real-life rear underride tragedy in a crash into an old, weak, and ineffective rear underride guard: Carroll deputy killed in crash

Within a week’s time, 1 driver survived a crash with a trailer, 1 driver did not.

Seems like a no-brainer to me to require that all of the 15.5 million trucks on the road have the best possible underride protection.

Note: How many trucks are on the road?

 “2016 Top 25 North American Truck-Trailer & Chassis OEMs

Rank

Manufacturer

2016

2015
Totals:

314,966

337,861

http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/trailer-output/2016-trailer-production-figures-table

Side Guard Petition Book Part 1

Side Guard Petition Book Part 2

Side Guard Petition Book Part 3

Within a week’s time, 1 driver survived a crash with a trailer, 1 driver did not.

Truck Safety

A real-life underride death prevented by a new rear underride guard: New Stoughton Rear Underride Guard Proven Successful In Real Life Crash; Driver Survives

A real-life rear underride tragedy in a crash into an old, weak, and ineffective rear underride guard: Carroll deputy killed in crash

Seems like a no-brainer to me to require that all of the 15.5 million trucks on the road have the best possible underride protection.

Note: How many trucks are on the road?

 “2016 Top 25 North American Truck-Trailer & Chassis OEMs

Rank

Manufacturer

2016

2015
Totals:

314,966

337,861

http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/trailer-output/2016-trailer-production-figures-table

If this had been a real-life crash, side underride would be avoided & people in the car would have survived!

Truck Safety, , ,

Successful side guard crash test at 33-34 mph — one year after we helped Aaron Kiefer with his first one. No Passenger Compartment Intrusion (PCI). If this had been a real-life crash, the people in the car would not have experienced deadly, severe underride of the side of the truck.

Lengthier video shows the construction of the side guard, as well as the prep work and aftermath clean-up by Aaron’s volunteer crew:

Thank you, Aaron, for your confidence that this is a solvable problem — and your commitment to follow this project through to its life-saving goal.

Aaron Kiefer’s website: Collision Safety Consulting

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1281790868570091&id=464993830249803

New Stoughton Rear Underride Guard Proven Successful In Real Life Crash; Driver Survives

Truck Safety, , ,

I found out which crash the new Stoughton rear underride guard was in. Here is a photo of a recent crash on the New York State Thruway.

Photo from Syracuse.com crash story: At least 3 people injured in pileup on NYS Thruway in Warners

Imagine. The new guard did what it was supposed to do! There was no Passenger Compartment Intrusion. The driver in this car survived.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Stoughton. Thank you, Trucking Industry for responding to the research and our pleas. Thank you, everyone who has supported this effort.

Here are the crash tests done by IIHS on the 5 major trailer manufacturers who have voluntarily improved their rear underride guard:

2 Moms Collaborate With Innovative & Insightful Truck Industry Leaders

Side Guard Petition Book; We CAN Solve Deadly Side Underride by Working Together

Truck Safety,

Here’s the information which I have pulled together on side underride:

Let’s put the 21st Century Truck Partnership initiative to work & solve the deadly underride problem!

Let’s put the 21st Century Truck Partnership initiative to work & solve the deadly underride problem!

Truck Safety, , , ,

Research and development for ways to protect road users from deadly underride could and should be part of 21st Century Truck Partnership efforts and the millions of dollars being poured into the Super Truck project.

Here’s the information which I have pulled together on side underride:

I have shared this information with multiple individuals and organizations in Washington, DC (DOE, DOT, The Hill, and truck industry leaders). I am trying to organize a meeting, with them all, for when I am in DC next week. It needs to be discussed and moved on quickly. Lives are at stake.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

DOE employees have an Office of Ombudsman but Vulnerable Victims of Vehicle Violence do not.

Safety Advocacy

I just noticed that the Department of Energy employees have an Office of Ombudsman. It reminded me that Vulnerable Victims of Vehicle Violence do not have a National Traffic Safety Ombudsman to advocate on their behalf.

Stoughton Trailer owners can buy this new part to help prevent deadly rear underride.

Truck Safety, , , ,

I aim to do my part in advertising this Rear Underride Guard Retrofit Kit from Stoughton Trailers. Owners of a Stoughton Trailer can buy this new part and make their truck better able to prevent deadly rear underride by passenger vehicles.

Why would someone not do this — for $500-600?

By the way, I have also heard that Great Dane will make their new & improved rear underride guard available as a retrofit solution on their trailers.

Please help me get the word out.