Collisions between a passenger vehicle and a large truck can be a dangerous incident that could lead to death or serious injuries. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrated that there were approximately 3000 accidents with tractor trailers in 2009 alone. Underride accidents can be extremely dangerous because the majority of cars who are pushed underneath the truck are crushed and unable to escape or survive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that there are at least 5000 victims injured every year because of these accidents and at least 400 deaths just from underride accidents. As a result of these serious dangers and risks associated with getting caught under a large truck, tractor trailers now use underride guards on the back of their trailers and on the sides in order to prevent these accidents from happening.

A recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, however, indicates that these products may not be as helpful or as safe as the government had indented. These guards often fail and allow cars to slide underneath the truck in a crash, still causing a serious number of devastating accidents.  The IIHS conducted numerous evaluations in order to determine whether these products met the U.S. Federal Standards for Accidents in comparison with other countries including Canada. The underride guards in these tests failed to perform their duties when cars were traveling at only 25 miles per hour.

The Canadian guards, however met the higher standards and were efficient to protect cars at similar speeds. If you have been injured in a trucking accident you may be dealing with the devastating consequences of such an incident. Getting medical attention as soon as possible can be critical for your future.