A bill that would require underride guards for all commercial trucks and tractor trailers has been introduced for the third time in Congress. Trucking safety advocates have long supported the bill that would help prevent the kind of devastating accidents that result in smaller vehicles ending up under 18-wheelers.
Senators Marco Rubio and Kirsten Gillibrand have reintroduced the Stop Underrides Act for the third time. The bill would require that all new tractor trailers and 18- wheelers be equipped with underride protection guards, on the sides as well as the front. In many truck accidents, the smaller vehicle involved in the collision may slide or be pushed under the truck. These underride protection guards would prevent a small vehicle from sliding under the truck during an accident. These kinds of accidents are not uncommon and are very likely to end in serious injuries, like decapitations, if not fatalities. At the very least, the occupants of the small vehicle could suffer devastating head injuries.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claims that these accidents are extremely common. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, close to 80% of truck accident deaths involve situations in which the smaller vehicle slid under the truck. These kinds of accidents need not occur at high speeds to be devastating. Even at moderate speeds, the underride can slice through the passenger cabin of the smaller vehicle involved in the accident, possibly decapitating heads.