A new report from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) throws existing truck underride guard standards under the bus, recommending a revamp of data collection, inspections, and research into the use of side guards.
GAO was requested to review existing data on related crashes and underride guards, to figure out their use and the efficacy of Department of Transportation (DOT) data on the subject. They processed data from 2008 through 2017, reviewing proposed regulations and research, and along the way, concluded that existing DOT crash data likely underrepresents the actual number of annual traffic fatalities linked to such crashes.
An average of 219 deaths due to underride crashes with large trucks were reported annually. But differences in state and local data collection and reporting means that underride crash data can sometimes slip through the cracks.
Underrides themselves pose something of a problem. The guards are required as rear safety measures, but there is no requirement for them to be inspected. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed strengthening such requirements, though those proposals have yet to advance. Side underride guards have been challenged and are little supported by manufacturers, given that the NHTSA hasn’t yet researched them. Further, the NHSTA has determined that single-unit trucks like dump trucks have no need for underride guards at all, as they could not be made cost-effective.
All of this led GAO to recommend four measures for serious change. They want to see the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria updated to provide standardized definitions of what underride crashes entail, so they can be recorded properly, which GAO also wants to see state and local police advised on. They also request revisions of existing regulations to make rear guard inspections a required, annual occurrence, and for research to be conducted into the potential of side underride guards.
So far, the DOT has agreed with GAO’s recommendations.