Underride guards that are supposed to prevent cars from sliding under large trucks are failing at relatively low speeds, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The organization is urging the federal government to order stronger guards on the backs of 18 wheelers to protect passengers in cars that rear-end big rigs.

While passenger cars are better designed these days to withstand collisions with other cars, they are not built to hold up when the top of the car hits the back of a truck and slides under it. Typically, the upper part of the car is crushed or sliced off in such a collision. These accidents are frequently fatal for the car’s passengers even at low rates of speed.

According to the IIHS, the fronts of cars can absorb a tremendous amount of “crash energy” these days due to better designs. But that’s only true when a car hits another car. The IIHS says hitting the back of a truck is a “game changer” for a car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 423 people die every year in passenger vehicles that hit trucks with underride guards that break, allowing the car to slide under them.

The IIHS wants tougher standards for underride guards but doesn’t see much hope for a change without a federal mandate. Otherwise, manufacturers will have little incentive to strengthen the guards.

Drivers are likely to see a large truck almost any time f the year- on a trip to the grocery store, traveling on the interstate or anywhere in between.  Use special caution. Passenger cars are at a terrible disadvantage in a collision with a big truck. Its large mass absorbs the energy generated during a crash infinitely better than a car.

When a car and a truck have an accident, 86 percent of the fatalities occur outside the truck. That means the people in the car are the ones most likely to die, according to the Office of Motor Carrier Research and Standards, a federal agency that analyzes data about about traffic and driving conditions on U. S. road ways.

According to the agency, drivers of passenger cars don’t know that trucks aren’t like cars. Trucks can’t stop or accelerate fast, make speedy lane changes or see vehicles behind or beside them. These are the most dangerous things that car drivers can do around a big rig:

• Drive while drowsy, reading, talking on the cell phone or texting
• Merge into traffic right in front of a truck
• Run a red light or a stop sign
• Drive too fast in a construction zone
• Follow a truck too closely
• Approach the back of a truck too fast
• Change lanes abruptly in front of a truck
• Fail to slow down in bad weather
• Drive near a truck’s left rear quarter, right front quarter or directly behind it
• Pass with insufficient headway

Federal government to review rules for truckers

Is 11 hours too long for truckers to be on the road without resting? Federal officials are reconsidering a Bush Administration rule that leaves them on the highway that long and reduces the time between loads to 34 hours. Before the rule took effect during the last days of the Bush administration, truckers could drive 10 hours without a break and had to rest 50 hours between loads.
In October, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) signed an agreement with five safety and labor groups to reconsider the rule. The groups filed suit against the Bush rule some time ago. They include the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Public Citizen, Parents Against Tired Truckers, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The federal court ruled in their favor twice, stating that the government did not adequately explain the reason for the increase. But each time the court struck down the rule, the Bush Administration reinstated it. FMCSA is expected to announce its findings in about nine months.

By now, we all know it’s not healthy to be overweight. Medical reports rail against excess body fat, citing statistics that show even a few extra pounds can cause serious illnesses, from diabetes to heart ailments. Americans trying to stay healthy fight battles with their bathroom scales every day all over the United States.
But what about other people’s fat? Can it kill us too? Yes, according to sleep scientists at Harvard University. Their studies of the link between being overweight and sleep apnea have the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considering new rules to require screening of overweight truck drivers. Harvard scientists estimate that 28 percent of commercial truck drivers on U.S. highways suffer from mild or severe sleep apnea. The disorder shuts off airways, causing them to wake up dozens, even hundreds of times every night, leaving them generally fatigued and often, grievously sleep deprived. People with sleep apnea have a tendency to nod off during normal activities. A few seconds asleep at the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck rolling down the highway could easily be fatal to nearby drivers.
While the federal government is looking seriously at new rules to curb sleep apnea in overweight truckers, it has no deadline for implementing them. Supporters say the rules could help prevent the truck accidents that kill more than 5,200 people a year and injure another 100,000. Critics say the rules could idle up to 40 percent of the truckers on American roads. Meanwhile, successful treatments for sleep apnea include a device that supplies oxygen during the night and keeps airways open, leaving truckers with sleep apnea rested and ready to go.

American drivers beware. Trucks are expected to carry 70 percent of all the freight moved across the U.S. by 2018, making them the largest mode of freight transport in the country. Meanwhile, government efforts to improve the safety record of big rigs and other trucks is moving slowly in some respects and lagging in others. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says action to prevent medically unqualified drivers from operating commercial vehicles is unacceptable. According to the NTSB, “Many commercial drivers whose serious medical conditions are known to their employers, health care providers and others are never reported to the appropriate motor vehicle licensing authorities….endangering the drivers and others.” www.ntsb.gov. The NTSB is also working to get trucks off the road faster if inspectors find mechanical problems or drivers that are unqualified. In March 2007, at the urging of the NTSB, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) appointed experts from trucking companies, safety advocates and law enforcement to tackle the problem. The NTSB rates progress in this area “slow but acceptable.”

The legal weight for an 18-wheeler is 80,000 lbs. That’s 4 tons, my friend. The curb weight of a 2005 Toyota Camry is 3,164. So, it’s no contest, dude, when one of the big guys hits one of the little guys. Since “seeing is believing” as the old saying goes, click on www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrD3oe8UIY That will drive it home. Car crashes with 18-wheelers can be deadly. Victims often wind up with catastrophic injuries to the brain and spinal cord. It’s best to consult an attorney right away after an accident with an 18-wheeler since some states have time limits on how long you can wait before you file suit. And be extra cautious on the highway around a big rig. Small mistakes at high speeds can be fatal.