Underride Activists Prove Their Point in Alarming Impacts
To raise awareness of the dangers of an unshielded underride, activists Marianne Karth and Lois Durso held a crash test conference near Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The crash tests undeniably proved that underride guards can dramatically decrease the number of lives lost in side impact crashes with big-rigs. Auto industry officials, Senate and House officials, and staff from the DMV attended the demonstration in which three bullet cars hit the side of test trailers: one with an Angel Wing side guard, one with an elastic-band type side guard, and one without. The results were clear; the side guards distribute the impact across the front of the car, preventing the cabin area from being shaved off. Typically, when a vehicle crashes into an unguarded underride, the entire windshield and at least half of the roof is crumbled into the rear of the vehicle, resulting in horrific injuries and countless deaths each year.
Both Karth and Durso have lost children in underride crashes, which add to the 4,000 deaths that occur each year due to truck related crashes, according to the article shared by Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. Over the past 10 years, several attempts have been made by members of the senate, congress, and the Truck Safety Coalition to improve safety standards for big rig trucks. Unfortunately, their cries fall on seemingly unsympathetic ears. Proposed updates have been ignored and NHTSA has not lowered guard-height standards, nor did it amend the standards to included currently excluded classes of trucks including long pole trailers, low chassis trucks, logging trailers, and specialty equipment trucks.
Karth and Durso, along with additional activists, several senators, and congressmen are working to push the issues forward, despite NHTSA’s withdrawal of the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), claiming that the analysis of costs show that NHTSA could not justify taking further action. They hope to make such an impact that the government and transportation officials are forced by their own conscience to act. With improved safety features on side, rear and front underrides for trucks over 1,000 pounds, lives will inevitably be saved.
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If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an underride accident, our team of truck accident attorneys at The Law Office of Chadwick McGrady want to hear your story. We can provide the sympathetic, compassionate, and understanding legal counsel you need in these types of cases. Contact our team to discuss how we can help in a free initial consultation.
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