Sudden traffic issues on the Texas highways could happen any time, but even if you are the most attentive driver, you may not get enough warning to stop quickly enough. The vehicle behind you is a threat, too, since that driver must also stop on a dime. When a large truck is directly in front of you, the underride guard may be all that keeps your vehicle from sliding under the trailer. Our team at The Law Offices of Tyler & Peery have often provided legal advice to people who have been injured or lost loved ones in crashes with commercial vehicles.
Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute claim that federal regulations need to go further to require stronger underride guards on trailers. Their studies indicate that some of the 371 lives that were lost when passenger vehicles collided with the backs of trucks in 2014 could have been saved. There are two trailer manufacturers that do more than the minimum, but if you struck the corner of one of these with the front of your car going faster than 35 mph, your head would probably still come in contact with the trailer.
Many kinds of large trucks do not have to have any kind of underride guard. These include single-unit trucks and those that have rear wheels near the back edge of the trailer. Unfortunately, these trucks are among the majority of those involved in crashes investigated in the IIHS studies. More information about causes of crash fatalities involving large trucks is available on our web page.