SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation is working to keep bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians safer in the city by installing new side guards on their trucks.
So far the city has installed the guards on 14 trucks. The side guards help prevent a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorcyclist from going under a truck on impact and being crushed by rear truck tires.
SDOT told KIRO7 these 29 guard rails cost the City $12,500. SDOT hopes to add guard rails to 20 more trucks in the near future.
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The guards hang down to cover the gap between the front and rear wheels of the truck. They're designed to help push people out of the way of the wheels.
In a recent national five-year study, the US Department of Transportation found that nearly 600 people were killed in crashes into sides of trucks. And according to a recent study out of the United Kingdom, the guard rails reduced cyclist deaths by 61 percent.
The University of Washington has already installed side guards on all 31 box trucks in its fleet.
Cox Media Group
