Just who is to blame for a highly publicized fatal car crash involving a self-driving Tesla Model S and a tractor-trailer in May 2016? The driver, certainly, as a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration review made clear late last month. And ― according to a report Tuesday by NBC’s “Today” show ― perhaps foot-dragging politicians are at fault, too. Investigative reporter Ronan Farrow dug into the category of accidents known as “underride collisions,” where cars collide with semitrailers and plow underneath them with devastating results. Turns out there’s a relatively simple fix, one that has been mandatory on most trucks in Europe since 1989: installing side guards that close off access to the dangerous trailer undercarriage.

Source: Huffington Post February 07, 2017 19:40 UTC