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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 28, 2017 03:56 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Angel Cruz |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Side Underride Protection Systems |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation amending the Vehicle Code to provide for side underride protection systems. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), large truck side impacts accounted for 18 percent of fatal two-vehicle collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles during 2014. One of the main reasons why collisions with the sides of tractor-trailers are hazardous is because side underride might occur. Side underride occurs when passenger vehicle bumpers are not at the same height and do not engage the substantial side structure of tractor trailers. These collisions are immensely dangerous because they defeat vehicle crumple zones, prevent airbag deployment and can compromise a vehicle’s safety cage. In a study conducted in 2013, it was reported that among collisions where passenger vehicles struck the sides of tractor-trailers, side underride occurred in 69 percent of collisions with the trailers’ sides and 44 percent of collisions with the cabs’ sides. Underride collisions have higher rates of fatal, with more than 200 people killed a year, and severe non-fatal injuries than other crashes. Head injuries, including decapitation, are the most common type of serious injuries. Side underride is not only a danger to passenger vehicles. Unprotected road users such as motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to side underride interactions because of their size and lack of protection. These interactions often occur because unprotected road users can get lost in a truck’s blind spot area when a truck is turning or when a cab or trailer obstructs the driver’s view. When this occurs, the result is frequently fatal because the individual is swept under the tractor-trailer’s tires and crushed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended as recently as 2014 that the NHTSA require side underride protection systems be equipped on newly manufactured trailers with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds and newly manufactured truck-tractors with gross vehicle weight ratings over 26,000 pounds. My legislation simply takes the NTSB recommendation, which the NHTSA has not implemented, and codify it in Pennsylvania. Side underride protection systems are already mandatory on trucks operating in countries such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan and China. Domestically, cities such as Boston and New York have begun equipping city-owned vehicles with side underride protection systems. I ask that you join me in reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from side underride collisions by co-sponsoring this legislation. Thank you in advance for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my Harrisburg office at 717-705-1925. |
Introduced as HB1084