The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has a 30-year history of conducting crash tests to make sedans, minivans and SUVs safer is now testing cargo vans and work trucks that many people drive on the job.
In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving heavy-or medium-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of all roadway fatalities, according to the Arlington, Virginia-based insurance group. David Kidd, vice president of vehicle research for IIHS, said gaps in the U.S. vehicle safety system make commercial vehicles riskier to both their drivers and those they share the road with.
“We’re defining it as vehicles that are purpose-build, like cargo vans,” Kidd told WTOP. “They’re built for use by contractors, utilities, or for last-mile delivery.”
Those vehicles include ones such as step vans, or other work vehicles in which the cab and cargo areas are part of the same frame. Kidd said employees driving work vehicles often don’t have the safety equipment that’s built into their personal vehicles.
“You have air bags being required in vehicles that you and I buy, but those aren’t necessarily required for larger vehicles,” Kidd said. “Same thing with electronic stability control, or even automatic emergency braking to avoid rear-end crashes or potentially running over a pedestrian.”
As for why work trucks don’t have the same safety features as cars? “Part of the challenge is these vehicles are built differently, and they’re typically built for certain uses or vocations.”
For example, a step van would contain seats that would enable an employee to get in and out of the truck easily.
“A lot of the focus has been on making vehicles that fit a certain purpose, and that unfortunately has been more of a priority than making sure that they’re as safe as those vehicles that you and I typically would drive,” said Kidd.
The group said it hopes its truck ratings will encourage fleet operators and manufacturers to require safety improvements that facilitate crash avoidance and improved crashworthiness.
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