Why Boston is taking ‘underride’ crashes seriously
Assuming, and that’s a dangerous word, that all goes well, my wife and I will have driven some 1,600 miles from Florida to Connecticut.
If recent years are any indication, we’re going to encounter some highway delays caused by accidents that result from excessive speed, drivers not paying attention, aggressive driving, substance abuse, or increasingly, texting or other distracted driving.
On last year’s trip north, three times we sat for lengthy periods on the highway, waiting for lanes to reopen.
Two of those three accidents left an impression. The first was a heavy-duty pickup truck with dual rear wheels that had been towing a long livestock trailer. The rig had jackknifed and both truck and trailer were on their sides, with responders wondering how to extricate the animals.
That was a mess, and we felt for all involved.
The second was a lowboy tractor trailer unit that was taking a right turn with what remained of a Mini jammed under the trailer—a so-called underride crash.
The car was far enough under the trailer that the interior cabin was involved. Car vs. 18-wheeler accidents never are good, and this one was grim.
In an underride crash, a passenger vehicle goes partially or fully under a truck or trailer, increasing the likelihood of death or serious injury to people riding in the smaller vehicle. Side underride crashes often involve pedestrians and bicyclists and are a particular issue in urban areas.
Several of the latter have received extensive news coverage in Greater Boston.
That’s one reason the City of Boston was represented at a May 5 Institute for Highway Safety roundtable on underride crashes.
Big rigs need a lot of room to turn. Failing to give them space can cause an instance of mini-gridlock at best, and a collision at worst.
The sign on big rigs means what it says: “If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you.’’
The recent tragedy in Boston when a young woman on a scooter was killed by a duck boat is a sad example of the danger.
A friend who cycles to work in Boston on a folding bicycle regularly encounters duck boats. “I give them plenty of space,’’ he says. “I can’t see the driver way up there so I know he can’t see me way down here.’’
Trying to pass a big vehicle on the right as that vehicle turns right is another guarantee of disaster.
“The one thing I hope everyone takes away from this session is that there has been a lot of progress in recent years on underride crashes,’’ says David Zuby, IIHS chief research officer, “and there will be more ahead.’’
Four of the eight major trailer manufacturers have voluntarily improved rear underride guard design enough to pass the latest IIHS standards, which exceed current US and Canadian requirements. They are models from Stoughton, Wabash, Vanguard, and Manac.
A 2016 Stoughton trailer was tested during the roundtable by having a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu hit the rear underride guard at 35 miles per hour.
The guard stopped the car, with a test dummy at the wheel, in time to preserve “survival space’’ in the front seat.
It’s a big step forward but drivers and cyclists should remember that side guards aren’t mandated at present, nor are rear guards on single-unit delivery trucks.
Words to live by.
Keys to Success
Imagine having an auto dealership that’s been keeping an eye out for a great used car to give to the high school student in your family.
That’s what the folks at Ray Ciccolo’s Honda Village (Newton), and his Hyundai and Volvo Villages of Danvers do for his Keys to Success program, which now is in its eighth year.
SUCCESS STORY: Jared Keough, a junior at Danvers High, was the winner of a 2011 Hyundai Sonata in the school’s Key’s to Success “Key Off’’ on May 6. Assistant principal Mark Strout helps with the presentation.
This month, four lucky students—one each from Danvers, Peabody, Waltham, and Newton North high schools—are drawing a key to a certified pre-owned car that can drive home.
It’s the culmination of the annual Keys to Success incentive program at the schools, rewarding students for community service, outstanding attendance, citizenship, and improvement in grades. Teachers and administrators can reward students with key cards that can be redeemed at local businesses and museums.
Each year, the program winds up with 50 key holders at each school being randomly chosen to draw keys, one of which will start the car.
This week’s drawings will be at Newton North on Thursday (May 19) and Waltham on Friday (May 20).
Etc.
Spring may have taken its sweet time arriving, but one sure sign is Cadillac-LaSalle Day, the season-opener for Larz Anderson Auto Museum’s lawn events. The event runs today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the museum grounds on Newton Street in Brookline … Also today is an all-vehicles show at Mass Bay CC in Ashland (8 a.m.-noon), and a Freetown-Fall River Forest show from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The entrance is on Slab Road in Assonet … Next Saturday (May 21) is the fourth Wheels of Wellesley show featuring a Batmobile on the 50th anniversary of the show and a display of Indian motorcycles and classic Aston-Martins. The show runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. … The Mustang Car Club of New England hosts an “American Iron’’ show next Saturday (3-8 p.m.) at Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro. Fire extinguishers are mandatory for show cars.
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