Safety rear underride guards with an optional reverse impact braking system

Hope, Fred

Affiliations

¹Hope Technical Developments Ltd., United Kingdom

Abstract

This paper describes the Safe-T-Bar and Sens-N-Stop, two products aimed at reducing personal injury and damage resulting from rear impacts.

The Safe-T-Bar is a rear underride protection guard. It can be fitted to all vehicle types, including straight trucks and semi-trailers, up to the maximum gross vehicle weight.

There are two versions of the guard, one incorporating rubber springs, the other friction plates. Collision damage to light vehicles occurring at average speeds is radically reduced or in some instances entirely eliminated.

Both versions of the Safe-T-Bar have been laboratory tested. The rubber spring version meets EEC Directives ell-011 and ell-013. The friction plate version fully complies with the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards FMVSS 223 and FMVSS 224.

Sens-N-Stop is an automatic impact-sensing and brake-activating system for reversing vehicles for use in conjunction with the rubber spring version of the Safe-T-Bar. Immediately the beam comes into contact with an obstruction the vehicle brakes are applied.

Links

URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv16/98s4p20.pdf

Cited By (1)

Year	Entry
1998	Bloch B, Schmutzler LOF. Improved crashworthy designs for truck underride guards. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.833-846.