The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a final rule amending safety regulations to specifically add rear underride impact guards as a required item on the list of annual inspections for motor carriers and roadside inspectors.
The rule also adds a definition of road construction controlled horizontal discharge trailers and makes it clear that RCC trailers are not required to have a rear impact guard installed.
Requiring these guards to be inspected on an annual basis is a step forward for safety. Rear impact guards and rear-end protection on most commercial vehicles reduce the incidence of passenger compartment intrusion during crashes in which a passenger vehicle strikes the rear of the CMV, FMCSA said.
“According to data available through FMCSA’s Analysis and Information Online webpage, in fiscal-year 2017 inspectors documented more than 2,300 violations related to rear impact guards and rear-end protection, more than half of which are for components that are missing, damaged or improperly constructed,” FMCSA said. “Including rear impact guards and rear-end protection in the periodic inspection requirements will call additional attention to this critical safety component and help ensure that each vehicle is checked at least once a year, improving compliance and helping to prevent fatalities and injuries when rear-end collisions occur.”
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