The Oregonian Letter to the Editor: Bill would cut semitrailer deaths

My 16-year old son, Riley, burned to death on Nov. 13, 2015, in a collision with a semitrailer that lacked a side guard to prevent his Honda Civic from becoming lodged beneath. When a side collision occurs, cars frequently “underride” because passenger vehicles are lower than semitrailers.

I am part of a grassroots effort of bereaved parents who have worked with some members of Congress to introduce the STOP Underrides Act (Senate Bill 605 and House Resolution 1622). This bill would provide a solution to save hundreds of people annually by installing underride guards on semitrailers, which have been ignored by the Department of Transportation as a result of lobbying by the trucking industry since Jayne Mansfield’s death in 1967. An underride guard would be a negligible pass-through safety cost, similar to other devices such as seatbelts or airbags. It has been frustrating trying to contact some members of Congress to co-sponsor this important legislation. For example, I am a constituent of Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s, and I have written, emailed and called his office for over three years on the dangers to the traveling public from semitrailer underride collisions. Despite his purported support of Portland’s “Vision Zero,” no one in his office has ever responded or acknowledged this issue.

Like Riley, thousands of people have died because of Congress’s failure to mandate underride guards on semitrailers. Rep. Blumenauer could champion underride guards to help save others from similar tragic deaths, but he continues to be a no-show.

Eric Hein, Portland

Link to Original Post: https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/04/readers-respond-bill-would-cut-semitrailer-deaths.html