Nov 19 2008
Underride Accident Attorneys
Uneven bumper height between cars and sport utility vehicles contributes to many injuries and deaths. Federal standards require car bumpers to match up within a few inches. Because there are no bumper requirements for SUVs and vans, many dont have bumpers at all or have inadequate bumpers.
In addition, many underride accidents occur with tractor trailers in a scenario where passenger vehicles can rear end an 18 wheeler and “submarine” under the back of the trailer. These types of accidents are often fatal. There are laws in place to prevent such bumper height and underride accidents. Forget about the 1993 regulation that trucks must have reflective tape on the rear and sides of the trailer. More important to the safety of drivers is the 1996 regulation that big-rig trucks must have an underride guard at the rear of the trailer. This guard extends down from the trailer down to just 22 inches above the ground. The problem is that many tractor trailers have not been retrofitted. Many tractor trailer trucks made before the 1996 regulation are still on the road without this important safety feature.