If asked to identify the most dangerous trucking accidents, underride collisions would likely be high on your list. The truth is that an average of 219 individuals die in these types of accidents each year in the United States, according to a 2019 U.S. Government Accountability Office report. While any death is too many, the fact that data compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that there were, on average, around 1,108 underride fatalities between 1988 and 1993 suggests that these crash rates are steadily decreasing.
Some would say that underrides are decreasing for a reason. One reason they’d likely cite is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began requiring new tractor-trailers to have underride guards installed on them beginning in 1998. Despite these decreases, trucking industry lobbyist groups have fought against the implementation of this and other safety-forward initiatives that would reduce the incidence rate of trucking accidents.
Given how effective these devices have been in preventing these crashes, you may be wondering: how do truck underride guards prevent truck accident fatalities? Below, we’ll tell you all you need to know about these barriers and explain how they reduce truck crashes that cause preventable deaths.
Understanding What Mansfield Bars Are
While some side underride guards are manufactured using other materials, rear guards are produced using steel. They essentially have a wide “U” shape. When properly installed, underrides should hang down approximately 12-18 inches both beneath the bottom of the trailer and above the roadway.
These guards shouldn’t be confused with truck skirts or angel wings, the latter of which are specifically used to prevent side underrides. These alternative protection devices are often formulated using fiberglass, plastic, or aluminum, which are seen as being more flexible materials that enhance aerodynamics, in addition to some reported crash reduction benefits.
How Underride Guards Minimize Deaths
Now that you understand more about these Mansfield bars’ construction and placement, let’s delve a bit deeper into how they ward off crashes. These guards do this by:
- Absorbing the impact of the crash: These guards’ steel construction is strong enough that, provided it’s properly welded on, it should distribute the force of the impact of any vehicle that collides with it. This minimizes the chances of the car’s hood and its roof becoming trapped beneath the truck’s trailer.
- Blocking the undercarriage portion of the trailer: The equidistant positioning between the bottom of the trailer and the ground of a properly installed Mansfield bar makes it virtually impossible for even the most low-lying vehicle to get stuck under the trailer.
When they are installed and function properly, these underride guards should repel a crash traveling at most posted rates of speed, even going as far as pushing the vehicle away into an opposite alignment.
Current Problems With Truck Underride Guards
While these guards certainly aren’t foolproof or perfect, any opportunity to reduce these often-deadly crashes is worth it. Some of the following issues are still a concern.
Not All Underride Guards Are Created Equally
As referenced above, there are a multitude of materials that underride guards may be constructed from. One guard might not prove as effective as the next in absorbing a certain amount of force and repelling a vehicle so it doesn’t get stuck under a tractor-trailer.
Counting on Truckers To Inspect and Fix These Mansfield Bars Isn’t Reliable
Also, even though the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires truckers to inspect their rear underride guard as part of their annual inspections, the concern is that that’s not enough or truckers may not do that. Even if they do, there’s no guarantee that they’ll know if something doesn’t look right or have the underride bar serviced if they do realize something is wrong with it.
Where To Turn for Help If a Crash Claimed the Life of a Family Member
Despite the fact that there’s been a significant reduction in underride accidents in recent years, there is still a lot that still needs to be done to reduce these crash rates. Even when they’re not deadly, these underrides can cause catastrophic injuries that forever change victims’ lives.
While we’d never wish to meet anyone under such unfortunate circumstances, if you’ve been hurt in a truck crash in San Pedro, we want to be there for you to help guide you in filing an insurance claim or wrongful death lawsuit. Contact us at Frost Law Firm, PC to schedule an initial consultation with our legal team. This meeting is free and offers you an opportunity to discuss your rights and to understand the legal avenues available to you for recovering compensation when you have significant losses.
