1Urging the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee within the
2Department of Transportation to further study the effects of
3underride equipment.

4WHEREAS, Underride equipment is designed to reduce injuries
5and deaths when a passenger vehicle collides with the rear of a
6larger and heavier vehicle, such as a tractor-trailer or school
7bus; and

8WHEREAS, In such collisions, the passenger vehicle may slide
9underneath or underride the tractor-trailer or school bus to
10such an extent that the rear extremity of the tractor-trailer or
11school bus enters the passenger compartment of the vehicle; and

12WHEREAS, Underride equipment is intended to prevent passenger
13compartment intrusion by limiting the extent of rear underride;
14and

15WHEREAS, Current regulations do not require underride
16equipment to be installed on school buses, leading to serious
17and even deadly consequences for motorists involved in a rear-
18end collision with a school bus; and

1WHEREAS, Installation of underride equipment on school buses
2presents a variety of questions worthy of study, including, but
3not limited to, the ability and practicality of the installation
4of such devices on school buses, the potential number of lives
5that could be saved as the result of the installation of such
6equipment and the potential impact to children riding in the
7passenger cabin of the school bus in the event of a sudden rear
8impact; and

9WHEREAS, Previous reviews of this topic have been
10inconclusive, leading to a need for further study; and

11WHEREAS, The purpose of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory
12Committee is to assess, evaluate and recommend standards for the
13safe operation of motor vehicles in this Commonwealth; and

14WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
15Administration, current research into underride guard
16performance is focused on providing greater understanding of the
17characteristics of underride events and contributing factors, as
18well providing the next step towards defining a computer model
19to evaluate underride guard designs and vehicle impacts for
20various types of vehicles and impact scenarios; therefore be it

21RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Motor
22Safety Advisory committee within the Department of
23Transportation to further study the effects of underride
24equipment and report back to the the House of Representatives
25with the appropriate findings no later than six months from the
26date of passage of this resolution; be it further

27RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
28the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.