Although the government has mandated the use of under-ride guards to reduce fatalities involved in these collisions, many have come to wonder how useful these guardrails actually are.
As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration produced a study measuring fatal and non-fatal crashes involving large trucks.
In under-ride crashes, there are few factors that affect the safety of drivers in such a pronounced way as the lighting and time of day.
Throughout the years, the difference between night and day has been shrinking.
However, this means that, while night-time fatal crashes have reduced, daylight crashes have increased.
The light test was meant to measure the use of reflective tape with the guardrails, showing little success for the under-ride guard.
The type of vehicle was also distinctly different when measuring fatalities.
Cars were significantly more affected by the difference between light and dark.
However, pick-up trucks and vans had overall higher chances of a fatal accident with tractor-trailers, making the argument for the under-ride guard more confounding.
The under-guard should have protected light trucks as much as cars, making these figures more closely related.
The NHTSA also proved that more accidents occur on interstate roads than non-interstate roads.
This is partially explainable due to the higher speeds involved in interstate travel.
However, these figures reiterate the previously established problem that rear-end crashes between cars and large trucks still have relatively high fatality rates.
Perhaps the only real solution is increased driver awareness and road safety.
Although under-ride guards may show some small benefits, avoiding an accident altogether is the greatest safety tool available to a driver.
To learn more about what drivers can do if they have been injured by a reckless driver, contact a car accident lawyer.