Truck Accident

Truck Underride Accidents

There has been much discussion about how the sheer size of a truck increases the likelihood of death and injury when they are involved in an accident. In truth, the height of these vehicles, or how far they are set off the ground, is just as dangerous to the passenger automobiles they share the road with. In underride accidents, the passenger vehicle goes partially or wholly under a truck or trailer, which significantly increases the chance of death or injury to the car passengers. According to a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (www.iihs.org), front, rear or side underride occurred in half of all fatal truck accidents.

To reduce the prevalence of such accidents, a federal rule took effect in January 1998 to upgrade the rear impact guard standard for new trailers. However, the rule does not affect all big trucks and even then only includes the rear, which does not account for the majority of underride accidents. At least 77% of all underride accidents involve the front and side. In addition, critics hold that even the existing guard itself is inadequate; the guard - welded onto the back of the truck - is thought to be too weak, too high and ineffective.

Underride accidents could be largely preventable if all trucks and trailers were required to have adequate front, side and rear underguards to prevent passenger vehicles from slipping underneath. The underguards cost little relative to the damage they may prevent, but those in the trucking industry cite the lack of government regulations and subsequently do not install these preventative devices.

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