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Truck Underride Guards: Improved Data Collection, Inspections, and Research Needed

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date March 14, 2019
Release Date April 15, 2019
Report No. GAO-19-264
Summary:

A truck underride crash occurs when a car slides under a large truck, like a tractor-trailer. The car's passenger compartment can be crushed, potentially killing or severely injuring occupants. Researchers told us that underride crashes likely happen more often than the Department of Transportation's data suggests.

DOT requires trailers to have a rear safety bar—known as an underride guard—to prevent underride crashes, but it doesn’t require them to be inspected. DOT also hasn’t researched challenges to using underride guards on the sides of trucks.

We made 4 recommendations, including that DOT improve data and research the use of side guards.

In a simulated truck underride crash, a sedan slides under the back of a tractor-trailer.

The passenger compartment of a silver test sedan is crushed beneath the back of a tractor-trailer in a simulated crash.

The passenger compartment of a silver test sedan is crushed beneath the back of a tractor-trailer in a simulated crash.

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