Houston Truck Accident Lawyers Call for Stronger Under-ride Guards
Under-ride guards are installed at the back of a tractor-trailer, and are designed to prevent the front of a passenger vehicle from sliding under the trailer during a rear-ender accident. These have a great role to play in preventing crushing, blunt force injuries when a smaller vehicle crashes into the back of an 18-wheeler. In fact, in such accidents, an under-ride guard can be the only thing standing between the occupants of the smaller vehicle and severe fatalities/deaths.
However, a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that these under-ride guards are not as effective in preventing fatalities or serious injuries in low-speed rear end accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety researchers analyzed more than 1,000 truck accidents between 2001 and 2003. They found that there were 28 fatal accidents that involved a smaller passenger vehicle crashing into the back of a tractor-trailer. Out of these, 23 involved complete destruction of the front of the passenger vehicle, because of failure of the under-ride guard.
Researchers are now calling on the federal administration to strengthen regulations to ensure that under ride guards save lives and prevent serious injuries even in low-speed accidents. Besides, Houston truck accident lawyers are also concerned about the number of trucks that continue to ply our highways without adequate under ride guards in place. There are too many loopholes in our federal trucking regulations that allow truckers to drive 18-wheelers on some of our busiest highways, with no rear-ender protection for passenger vehicle occupants. The federal administration also needs to ensure that trucking companies install under-ride guards in all 18-wheelers and tractor trailers.
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