1981-08-01

Heavy Truck Safety - The Need To Know 810839

This paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on medium and heavy truck safety and reviews the results of truck safety research sponsored by the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
A number of issues have been raised about the accident experience of trucks, and the injuries and fatalities sustained by occupants. The diverse viewpoints and perceptions which exist on the reasons for these accidents and what countermeasures should be taken are reviewed.
The evolutionary nature of truck accident research is presented, pointing out that sufficient detailed accident and injury data are lacking. Corresponding information on truck configuration, size, weight and exposure data remain inadequate. The role of the vehicle, driver, and highway environment in accident causation must be known and methods to achieve this goal are examined.
Despite these limitations, there is progress in understanding the causes of truck accidents. MVMA-sponsored studies, including those which led to identification of “conspicuity” as an accident avoidance measure, are reviewed. Finally, recommendations for a comprehensive heavy truck accident causation study are presented.

SAE MOBILUS

Subscribers can view annotate, and download all of SAE's content. Learn More »

Access SAE MOBILUS »

Members save up to 16% off list price.
Login to see discount.
Special Offer: Download multiple Technical Papers each year? TechSelect is a cost-effective subscription option to select and download 12-100 full-text Technical Papers per year. Find more information here.
We also recommend:
TECHNICAL PAPER

Truck Safety Technology for the 21st Century

952260

View Details

TECHNICAL PAPER

Status Report on Large Truck Safety in the United States

892541

View Details

TECHNICAL PAPER

FMCSA's Advanced System Testing Utilizing a Data Acquisition System on the Highway

2011-01-2293

View Details

X