Truck Sideguards for Vision Zero: Review and Technical Recommendations for Safe Fleet Transition Plan Pilot Deployment

Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) partnered with the New York City (NYC) Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) in establishing recommendations for implementing large truck side underride protection as part of the landmark Vision Zero program. This report details findings and recommendations from the study. Large truck crashes are more likely to result in a pedestrian or bicyclist fatality than crashes involving passenger vehicles and more likely to be side-impact crashes. Sideguards are vehicle-based safety devices that prevent pedestrians and cyclists, and in some instances motorcyclists, from falling into the exposed space between the axles of trucks with high ground clearance. Volpe’s review of available information related to sideguard design and crash outcomes in countries requiring these safety devices for up to three decades indicates that the safety effectiveness of sideguards has been well established. The fatality rate for bicyclists and pedestrians colliding with the side of a truck decreased by 61% and by 20%, respectively, following a national sideguard requirement in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Volpe reviewed regulatory and voluntary sideguard precedents, as well as existing international technical specifications, to develop a foundation for New York City-based sideguard standards. With input from the City’s Fleet Federation, the Fleet Specifications Committee, and constituent DCAS fleets, Volpe tailored the recommendations to focus on the most relevant types of vehicles in NYC’s municipal fleets. These recommendations build upon existing European and United Kingdom sideguard standards and are intended to advance the Safe Fleet Transition Plan for DCAS fleet vehicles, the largest potential truck sideguard pilot deployment for bicyclist and pedestrian safety in the U.S. The recommendations may also inform future regulatory requirements.