This is such an important issue. We live in a region where regularly 75 percent of commercial vehicles fail basic inspections when stopped. And we promote free roaming trucks with tandems, something that is banned in London England as this type of vehicle was responsible for the majority of deaths and serious injuries.
Unlike many countries in Europe, Canada does not insist that trucks have side guards, which prevent vulnerable road users from being crushed by trucks. This discussion TODAY seeks to change that.
The B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit presents:
Date: Thursday (today)
Time: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
Truck Side Guards and Vulnerable Road User Safety
Alexander K. Epstein, PhD
Senior General Engineer, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Volpe Center
Abstract: The talk will summarize evidence-based information and research regarding truck lateral protection devices, or side guards, as a readily available safety countermeasure to reduce fatal crashes with vulnerable road users. Implementation examples and resources will be highlighted, and feedback on barriers to implementation will inform ongoing Volpe Center support of fleet safety planning to help eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Alexander Epstein joined the U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in 2011, where he leads a portfolio of vehicle safety research and implementation programs with major municipal fleets, develops partnerships to pilot and assess countermeasures for vulnerable road user safety, and performs traffic safety and decarbonization research in support of U.S. DOT and other agencies. Connecting innovation at the local level with best practices at the federal level, Dr. Epstein advises fleet-focused Vision Zero initiatives across the U.S. with the goal of preventing vulnerable road user deaths on our streets.
images:trucks.com, moderntrucksolutions
In France (I can’t speak for the rest of the EU) all trucks have side guards. I guess they care more about the lives of pedestrians and cyclists. I thought is a previous Viewpoint earlier this year there was a post saying side guards would be mandatory now in Canada. Not so? Such a simple thing to add.
Author
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. There was a city of Vancouver motion that CITY of Vancouver owned trucks (city hall trucks) all have side guards. Sadly the media reported it as a City of Vancouver requirement for ALL vehicles which it is not. There is no requirement for trucks to have sideguards in Canada despite the number of fatalities and serious injuries. Truck drivers stopped at Commercial Vehicle Inspections also fail those inspections 70 to 80 percent of the time. This is an area of self governance that is also not being managed appropriately by the trucking industry and should be addressed by Provincial Government. Sideguards on trucks should be mandatory and should be undertaken by the Province for everyone’s safety.