The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been doing yeoman’s work in areas where the federal government has either outright failed or is indifferent in their mission.
In the past decade alone, the IIHS has executed studies and crash test programs that are directly related to real world crash data of insurance companies who have to pay out on these accidents.
The result is a research and testing program that is a direct response to what really happens out in the world of auto accidents. And one unseen and unspoken danger which is rising to the forefront is under ride crashes where cars rear-end a semi truck trailer.
You have seen them on the road and followed them. The large trailers behind diesel rigs look stout and have large federally mandated rear bumpers. These steel girders at one time didn’t exist, but are now required.
The problem however is there is little specificity in the rules that govern them. As a result, there is a wide gap between the safety between one manufacturer to another.
As seen in this video by the IIHS, some of these crash bumpers do well to prevent a full under ride while others allow a clear and devastating intrusion into the passenger compartment which obviously can result in a fatality.
