NTSB Recommends Underride Protection for New Trailers, Trucks
The National Transportation Safety Board issued several safety recommendations April 3 for trucks pulling trailers, including the mitigation of blind spots and the installation of side and updated rear truck underride protection on newly manufactured vehicles and trailers.
The recommendations, sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came from a 2013 NTSB investigation that concluded straight trucks were involved in a disproportionate number of fatal crashes.
To improve crash data quality, NTSB also said that trailer vehicle identification number and trailer model year should be added to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System database for trailers with gross vehicle weight ratings exceeding 10,000 pounds.
“The NTSB is vitally interested in these recommendations because they are designed to prevent accidents and save lives,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a letter to NHTSA.
