Following a fatal car crash on I-81 that killed three St. Lawrence County residents, Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the federal government to require trucks to be equipped with energy-absorbing underride guards.

The crash, which happened on July 5, claimed the lives of Corey E. Moore, 50, Canton; Gregg P. Williams, 58, DeKalb Junction; and Roderick C. Cota, 63, Norwood. All were employees of RB Ambulance Co.

Schumer said the incident “shows the urgent need to improve truck safety in order to better protect drivers and passengers involved in truck underride crashes.”

“When these accidents occur, the vehicle can strike and travel underneath a truck bypassing the vehicle's built-in safety mechanisms. To address these catastrophic accidents, Schumer is calling for the federal government to update existing truck rear underride guard standards, require trucks be equipped with side underride guards, and for new research into front underride guard standards. Schumer said the safety benefits of underride guards are proven and well-known and that these new safety requirements can help protect all New Yorkers on the road,” his office said in a news release.

Underride crashes involving passenger motor vehicles striking and traveling underneath a truck or trailer are “a significant public safety threat,” Schumer said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that hundreds of preventable fatalities and life-threatening injuries have occurred as a result of underride crashes, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended the installation of rear, side and front underride guards to improve safety, according to his office.

The senator is specifically calling for three safety improvements:

• Update the truck rear underride guard standard. The current standards for rear underride guards are outdated dated and do not work as effectively with modern vehicles now equipped with crumple zones and airbag deployment sensors.

• Require trucks be equipped with side underride guards. Side underride guards are currently not required on trucks, but research has demonstrated considerable driver and passenger safety improvements with their addition

• Study truck front underride guards. Research should be conducted to establish the most effective approach front underride guard standards.

Since large trucks typically sit far higher than passenger vehicles, underride guards along the rear and sides of the truck can help prevent vehicles from going underneath the truck in an accident and in many instances can make the accidents that do occur far less devastating, Schumer said. While some trucks are already equipped with this technology, many are not, the senator said.

“Requiring trucks be equipped with underride guards is a proven technology that will save lives and make our roads safer,” Schumer said in a prepared statement. “Most New Yorkers, especially those upstate, drive regularly, whether to get to work or to drop their kids off at school on roads where our truck safety standards are lacking and in need of improvement to fill critical gaps to adapt in new safety technology. “Drivers and passengers in this most recent crash could have been better protected if the truck was equipped with side underride guards. The devastation of crashes like these – a result of a gap in truck safety standards – could be reduced. The reality is installing underride guards on trucks can save lives, which is why I am calling on the federal government to immediately develop new safety standards for trucks. We need to make sure we’re doing everything possible to make our roads as safe as possible.”