Several members of an advisory committee tasked with reducing crashes raised doubts about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) cost-benefit analysis concerning a potential mandate for side underride guards.
At the recent Advisory Committee on Underride Protection meeting held on April 24, considerable time was dedicated to scrutinizing the research outlined in NHTSA’s 2023 advance notice of proposed rulemaking. The preliminary findings suggested that implementing a mandate for side underride guards would incur substantial costs.
According to NHTSA’s cost-benefit analysis, such a mandate could potentially save 17.2 lives and prevent 69 injuries annually, but it could also cost up to $1.2 billion per year. This analysis resulted in an estimated cost of $73.5 to $103.7 million per life saved.
Eric Hein, whose son Riley tragically lost his life in a 2015 truck crash, presented arguments challenging NHTSA’s figures. Hein criticized the analysis as “flawed,” asserting that the agency had underestimated the number of fatalities resulting from underride crashes and had failed to accurately assess cost savings.
Committee members Marianne Karth and Jennifer Tierney also expressed concerns, noting the absence of data on pedestrians and bicyclists killed in underride crashes in NHTSA’s notice. Tierney proposed a motion for the committee to urge NHTSA to retract the advance notice of proposed rulemaking and conduct a revised cost-benefit analysis. Despite concerns about potentially slowing down the rulemaking process, the motion passed with seven yes votes, six no votes, and three abstentions.
The discussion then turned to the efficacy of side underride guards. Aaron Kiefer, representing motor vehicle crash investigators, put forth motions recommending that NHTSA mandate the installation of side underride guards on all new semitrailers and those manufactured after 1998.
Doug Smith, representing truck drivers, highlighted challenges related to retrofitting older trailers, particularly those with costs exceeding the trailer’s value and those primarily used for storage. Jeff Bennett, representing motor vehicle engineers, questioned the effectiveness of side underride guards.
“The effectiveness of side guards has not been determined,” Bennett said. “If you crash anywhere but dead center of the guard, it is not effective.”
Both of Kiefer’s motions were approved.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for May 22, with requests for an extension to the charter and an additional meeting in June pending approval. Following the final meeting, the committee will draft a recommendation report for NHTSA.
However, due to significant differences among committee members, a dissenting report will also be issued. A motion was passed to allow minority committee members at least a week to respond to the majority report.
Source: Land Line
