NHTSA Maintains Status Quo for Rear Underride Guards
On August 18 2022, a coalition of four parents who had lost children to underride crashes filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) asking for an increase in the quality of standards for rear underguards. The NHTSA has denied it.
Details
The most recent changes for rear underride guards happened in July 2022, where it opted to mimic Canada’s requirements in making the guards able to save drivers who collide into the truck from behind at a rate of 35 miles per hour or less, a relatively wide range considering the driver was actively slamming the brakes to slow down before the inevitable collision.
The petitioners stated that NHTSA had been directed by Congress to “protect the safety of the driving public against unreasonable risk of death or injury” and claimed that the agency did not meet this standard with the 2022 update, asking for it to be higher. They said that it “lacks a genuine commitment to the Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy.”
Instead, the petitioners argued that the standard should come from an outside source: the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s ToughGuard award.
The reason the NHTSA disagreed with the petition is that no new information has come to light that would warrant an increase of the current standard to beyond 35 MPH.
Conclusion
While our hearts go out to the four parents whose children were lost due to collisions, it is highly untenable that even stronger rear underside guards would justify refurbishing a majority of America’s fleet when the likelihood of a collision at above 35 MPH is so small. Even if it did become the official rule, it would likely follow the route of most regulatory changes of grandfathering in old equipment and slowly phasing it out over numerous years.
As of the time of writing NHTSA has not released any more information about plans to require side underride guards, a similarly contentious topic in the safety vs. feasibility debate that envelops most trucking regulations. We will be sure to update as any new information appears.
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