At the recent Advisory Committee on Underride Protection meeting held on April 24, considerable time was dedicated to scrutinizing the research outlined in NHTSA’s 2023 advance notice of proposed rulemaking. The preliminary findings suggested that implementing a mandate for side underride guards would incur substantial costs.

According to NHTSA’s cost-benefit analysis, such a mandate could potentially save 17.2 lives and prevent 69 injuries annually, but it could also cost up to $1.2 billion per year. This analysis resulted in an estimated cost of $73.5 to $103.7 million per life saved.

Eric Hein, whose son Riley tragically lost his life in a 2015 truck crash, presented arguments challenging NHTSA’s figures. Hein criticized the analysis as “flawed,” asserting that the agency had underestimated the number of fatalities resulting from underride crashes and had failed to accurately assess cost savings.

Committee members Marianne Karth and Jennifer Tierney also expressed concerns, noting the absence of data on pedestrians and bicyclists killed in underride crashes in NHTSA’s notice. Tierney proposed a motion for the committee to urge NHTSA to retract the advance notice of proposed rulemaking and conduct a revised cost-benefit analysis. Despite concerns about potentially slowing down the rulemaking process, the motion passed with seven yes votes, six no votes, and three abstentions.

The discussion then turned to the efficacy of side underride guards. Aaron Kiefer, representing motor vehicle crash investigators, put forth motions recommending that NHTSA mandate the installation of side underride guards on all new semitrailers and those manufactured after 1998.

Doug Smith, representing truck drivers, highlighted challenges related to retrofitting older trailers, particularly those with costs exceeding the trailer’s value and those primarily used for storage. Jeff Bennett, representing motor vehicle engineers, questioned the effectiveness of side underride guards.

“The effectiveness of side guards has not been determined,” Bennett said. “If you crash anywhere but dead center of the guard, it is not effective.”

Both of Kiefer’s motions were approved.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for May 22, with requests for an extension to the charter and an additional meeting in June pending approval. Following the final meeting, the committee will draft a recommendation report for NHTSA.

However, due to significant differences among committee members, a dissenting report will also be issued. A motion was passed to allow minority committee members at least a week to respond to the majority report.

Source: Land Line

The post NHTSA Data Calls into Question by Underride Committee appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

Jeff Bennett, representing motor vehicle engineers, discussed rear underride guards, highlighting worries that side underride guards might rebound cars into traffic, causing multi-vehicle accidents.

“All the trailer rear impact guards that passed the 30% offset crash test caused the crash car to spin out of its lane of traffic,” Bennett said. “And where I come from, there are always cars in the other lanes.”

Doug Smith, the lone truck driver representative on the committee and an OOIDA board member, also voiced similar concerns.

“Rebound accidents are an important consideration,” Smith said. “The design is based on not kicking cars back into traffic, so that is an important consideration and not something to be dismissed.”

Supporters of mandatory side underride guards within the committee argue that other technological mandates could mitigate the guards’ limitations. Lee Jackson, the committee’s chairperson and a crash investigator, emphasized that underride guards would be more effective when combined with mandated automatic emergency braking systems.

“Nobody expects for there to be a 70 mph impact and for the occupants to walk away unscathed,” Jackson said. “That’s just not realistic, but that’s why I’ve said numerous times we have to have a good rear guard and a good side guard that work in concert with automatic braking.”

The existing regulations outline requirements for rear impact guards on trailers, but there are no federal regulations for side underride guards. NHTSA estimates that a nationwide mandate for side underride guards on all trailers and semitrailers could save 17.2 lives annually, resulting in safety benefits of up to $166 million.

However, the annual cost of this mandate is projected to be up to $1.2 billion, with the cost per equivalent life saved ranging from $73.5 million to $103.7 million. The analysis did not consider effects on port and loading dock operations, freight capacity, or infrastructure modifications.

The committee, currently divided on the side underride guard mandate, is working towards consensus recommendations for NHTSA to reduce underride crashes and fatalities. The definition of consensus itself sparked debate during the last meeting, with proponents of the mandate advocating for a simple majority, while opponents insisted on at least 75% agreement. Ultimately, the committee decided, through a simple majority vote, that a simple majority constitutes a consensus.

Source: Land Line

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