Tag Archives: truck crashes

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.

My Reactions to Comments on Inside Edition Underride Investigative Report

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

Inside Edition aired an underride investigative report on October 11, after having filmed underride crash testing at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol training facility on August 3, 2023. I think that they did a great job of bringing attention to this preventable problem. Watch it yourself: How AngelWing Side Guards May Prevent Underride Crashes & read it here: A Mother’s Mission to Save Lives and Prevent Underride Crashes

However, after reading the many and varied comments on the YouTube video of the broadcast, I decided to respond in detail by posting my thoughts here. I hope that, no matter how much you know about underride, you’ll take some time to hear what I have to say:

My Reaction to Comments on the Inside Edition Underride Investigative Report

Thanks for listening. I hope that you’ll do whatever you can to help me bring an end to preventable underride tragedies.

Do truck crashes inevitably turn out badly? Or could underride protection change the outcome? Well?

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Highways & Transit Subcommittee held a hearing this morning entitled, “Every Life Counts: Improving Safety on our Nation’s Roadways.” A question was asked about Commercial Truck Safety. Note the comment made here which reflects the commonly-held belief that it is inevitable that a large truck will win out in any collision with a smaller entity.

Would Congress pass the STOP Underrides Act if they realized that truck crashes could become more survivable with the installation of comprehensive underride protection?

Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!

“Trucking Regulations Don’t Address Biggest Risk – Unsafe Behavior” by a husband/wife trucker team

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , , , ,

You will want to read this in-depth article on truck safety full of practical knowledge and insight — written by a trucker husband/wife team.

Opinion: Trucking Regulations Don’t Address Biggest Risk – Unsafe Behavior, Trucks.com, by Jeff & Linda Halling, September 8, 2016

Written by Jeff and Linda Halling, a husband-and-wife driving team based in Missouri. This is one in a series of periodic guest columns by industry thought leaders.

While the federal government is adding new trucking industry regulations — including speed limiters for big rigs and electronic logging devices for drivers — these moves don’t really address the root causes of truck crashes.

If we really want to improve safety for truckers and the motoring public, we need to focus on the base reasons for unsafe behavior. We believe better training is key — teaching drivers good work habits. That will reduce the frequency of truck crashes. . .

Read more here: Trucking Regulations Don’t Address Biggest Risk – Unsafe Behavior

jeff-and-linda-halling-photo-credit-jeff-halling