HIGHWAY ACCIDENT REPORT. TRUCK AUTOMOBILE UNDERRIDE COLLISION ON INTERSTATE I-495 NEW CARROLLTON, MARYLAND JUNE 19, 1970

A REAR-END UNDERRIDE COLLISION INVOLVING A TRUCK AND AN AUTOMOBILE IS REPORTED AND ANALYZED. THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THIS REAR-END UNDERRIDE COLLISION WAS THE STOPPING OF A TRUCK IN A HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC LANE BY AN UNTRAINED DRIVER OPERATING AN UNSAFE TRUCK WITH A MAKESHIFT HOOD FASTENER THAT FAILED, ALLOWING THE HOOD TO OBSTRUCT THE DRIVER'S FORWARD VIEW. THE DRIVER OF A FOLLOWING AUTOMOBILE WAS NOT WARNED BY THE TRUCK'S EMERGENCY FLASHER LIGHTS DUE TO A FAULTY LIGHT SWITCH, AND THE DRIVER'S ATTEMPT TO STOP WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. TWO CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE EMPHASIZED: (1) THE NEED FOR RULEMAKING RELATING TO REAR-END UNDERRIDE PROTECTION DEVICES ON TRUCKS, TRAILERS, AND SEMITRAILERS; (2) THE ALMOST TOTAL LACK OF COMPLIANCE BY THE PRIVATE CARRIER WITH APPLICABLE MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • No Ntsb-har-71-9, 36 PP, 1 FIG, 6 PHOT, 8 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1971-9-16

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Crash causes; Crash investigation; Laws; Motor vehicles; Rear end crashes; Taillamps; Trucks; Underride guards; Underride override crashes
• Old TRIS Terms: Motor vehicle laws & regulation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223684
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 7 1972 12:00AM