Commercial truckers in North Carolina that are concerned about driving safety should know that recent tests indicate that side underride guards for trailers can reduce the risk of injury and death in the event of an accident. These tests were conducted in early 2017 by IIHS, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
These experiments showed that underride guards that were mounted to the sides of a trailer were able to provide nearly the same degree of safety as those mounted to the back. Regulations requiring straight truck configurations and trailers to have rear-mounted underride guards installed are going through the regulatory process. The IIHS states that the results of its study confirm that there should also be requirements for side-mounted underride guards.
The IIHS conducted two 35-mile-per-hour crash tests, the first evaluations that the organization administered that assessed a side underride guard. One test involved the AngelWing side underride guard made by Airflow Deflector Inc. The other one was conducted with a side skirt composed of fiberglass that was manufactured to enhance aerodynamics rather than prevent underrides.
Both tests involved midsize passenger cars striking the middle of a 53-foot dry van trailer. In the assessment with the AngelWing, the IIHS stated that the collision bent the underride guard, but it kept the vehicle from going underneath the trailer. In the other test, where there was no underride guard present, the impact of the collision cut off part of the car’s roof and caused the vehicle to become wedged beneath the trailer.
A personal injury attorney may work to obtain financial compensation for victims of commercial truck accidents. The negligent parties may be held liable for any multi-vehicle accidents or semitruck accidents caused by violations of federal trucking regulations.