Home » Transportation and Trucking Articles » Semi Rear-End Crashes Often Prove Fatal
Semi Rear-End Crashes Often Prove Fatal
When it comes to a rear-end collision between a passenger vehicle and a semi tractor-trailer, the chances are that the passenger vehicle's occupants will suffer serious injuries or death, even at relatively low speeds.
April 22, 2011 /Transportation and Trucking PR News/ -- When it comes to a rear-end collision between a passenger vehicle and a semi tractor-trailer, the chances are that the passenger vehicle's occupants will suffer serious injuries or death, even at relatively low speeds.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is petitioning the federal government not only to require under-ride guards on all commercial trucks, but also for stronger or more durable under-ride guards. Studies show that in 2009, there were 3,163 fatalities in all large commercial truck crashes. In those crashes, about 70 percent of the deaths were of occupants of lower-riding passenger vehicles.
Analysts found that many of these car crashes resulted in the upper part of the car's vehicle cabin being crushed as it collided with the back of the large truck, and slid under the truck's tail. The same crushing effect was not found in collisions involving two passenger vehicles. In those cases, front-end structures were able to distribute most of the impact and force so that injuries were minimized.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has statistics that indicate an average of 423 people die each year, and another 5,000 are injured, when passenger vehicles rear-end large trucks.
Using the 2010 Chevy Malibu, which had received a five-star safety rating in the NHTSA's New Car Assessment Rating and is a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS, the IIHS tested several different under-ride guards. The Malibu was crashed into the rear of a parked trailer at certain speeds to see if some under-ride guards performed better than others. The results indicated poorly designed under-ride guards, and serious injury to any potential passengers.
In another test, the IIHS matched a trailer that met the more stringent Canadian standards for under-ride guards with one that met American standards. In a test at 35 miles per hour, the truck with the under-ride guards conforming to Canadian standards prevented the Malibu from sliding under, or "under-riding" the back of the truck and crushing the passenger compartment.
Although some truck manufacturers do test their under-ride guards, the IIHS laments the fact that most do not test as rigorously as the Institute did. Without stricter standards that should apply to all trucks, the high risk of fatal car and truck accidents and serious injuries in rear-end accidents with heavy trucks will not abate.
Article provided by Grandy & Martin Attorneys at Law
Visit us at http://www.grandyandmartin.com/
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