Most big rig underride guards don’t perform very well in actual crash situations. IIHS studies on rear underride guard safety show that even in crash situations at relatively slow speeds of 30 to 40 mph, rear underride guards that meet federal safety standards would fail to protect car occupants from underride accidents’ dangers of injury or death. Some of the reasons for the failure of rear underride guards include:
1. The guards tore away from the trucks during crash situations;
2. The guards were too high off the ground to reach small cars;
3. The guards didn’t extend the full width of the truck trailers;
4. The guards didn’t have vertical supports on the rear corners; or
5. The guards were too rigid and did not absorb sufficient crash energy.
40% of rear underride accidents happen at the corners of the truck that standard rear underride guards may not cover. Highway underride accidents around Pearland, TX frequently occur at speeds well above 30 to 40 mph. And about half of underride accidents result when passenger vehicles collide with the sides of big rig trailers. As yet there’s no general mandate for side underride guards.
So you don’t want to bet your life on the performance of big rig underride guards in crash situations in Pearland, TX. Your best bet is to keep a safe distance when driving behind trucks, pay close attention to the road, stay out of trucks’ blind spots, and take extra precautions when driving at night. Many side underride accidents occur at night or in other poor visibility conditions where the driver either never sees the trailer at all, or doesn’t see it until it’s too late to stop.
If you suffer an underride accident involving a big rig, you will likely suffer debilitating financial pain as well as physical and emotional pain after the wreck. Your medical expenses might be astronomical. But the insurance company and the trucking company won’t want to pay you what your claim is really worth. You’ll need the help of our smart and aggressive Pearland, TX truck accident lawyers to extract the monetary compensation you’ll need to pay your accident expenses and get on with your life. Call us today for your free consultation. If you have questions, we could provide the answers.