Crash Atlas · Washington · Side-guard study
Where on the truck
77 people walking or biking were killed by a large truck in Washington between 2018 and 2024. For each of them the federal crash census records where on the truck they were struck: the question at the centre of any argument about side guards.
77 on foot or bike, killed by a large truck
51 struck by the front of the truck
12 struck by its side
6 struck by its underside
What the file says
- The front of the truck, not the side, is where most were struck: 51 of 77, or 66.2%. Across the United States over the same seven years the figure is 67.8% of 3,939. On this measure Washington looks like the rest of the country.
- 12 were struck by the side of the truck (15.6%): 8 pedestrians and 4 cyclists, 11 of them on the truck’s right. Another 6 were struck by its underside, 2 of them by a truck with no driver recorded at the wheel.
- For cyclists the side matters more. 4 of the 13 cyclists were struck by the side and 2 by the underside. Nationally 25.2% of cyclists killed by large trucks were struck by the side, against 10.4% of pedestrians.
- 10 people were killed by a truck turning right. 5 were struck by its front and 4 by its side, underside or rear.
- On interstates and freeways it is almost all the front: 18 of 23. On every other road, 14 of 54 were struck by the side or underside.
- Seattle recorded 8 such deaths: 6 struck by the front, none by the side, and 2 where the record does not say. Across King County, 2 of 29 were struck by the side and 3 by the underside.
- Washington’s records have stopped saying whether a car went under a truck. From 2021 to 2024, FARS codes underride as “not reported” for 225 of the 261 other vehicles in Washington’s large-truck crashes (86.2%), against 26.3% in the rest of the country. Washington recorded 14 underrides in 2018–2020 and none since. Why that matters →
18 of 77
were struck by the side or the underside of the truck, and 51 by the front. A side guard closes the open space along a truck’s side, between its wheels. Front strikes, 66.2% of these deaths, are outside what a side guard can reach.
Washington against the national record
Share of pedestrians and cyclists killed by a large truck, by where on the truck they were struck. Washington: 77 people. United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Washington included: 3,939.
| Where on the truck | WA pedestrians | WA cyclists | WA, all | US pedestrians | US cyclists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 46 | 5 | 51 (66.2%) | 2,324 (69.9%) | 345 (56.1%) |
| Side | 8 | 4 | 12 (15.6%) | 345 (10.4%) | 155 (25.2%) |
| Underside | 4 | 2 | 6 (7.8%) | 109 (3.3%) | 25 (4.1%) |
| Rear | 3 | 1 | 4 (5.2%) | 166 (5.0%) | 50 (8.1%) |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 82 (2.5%) | 5 (0.8%) |
| Unknown | 3 | 1 | 4 (5.2%) | 298 (9.0%) | 35 (5.7%) |
| Total | 64 | 13 | 77 | 3,324 | 615 |
“Other” is cargo or an object set in motion, or contact with the top of the truck. Washington recorded none.
What the truck was doing
The truck’s movement just before the crash, from the FARS pre-crash record. 10 people were killed by a truck turning right: 5 by its front, and 4 by its side, underside or rear. 7 were killed by a truck turning left, 6 of them by its front.
| Truck was | People | Front | Side | Underside | Rear | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Going straight | 47 | 35 | 8 | 1 | · | · | 3 |
| Turning right | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | · | 1 |
| Turning left | 7 | 6 | 1 | · | · | · | · |
| Backing up | 3 | · | · | · | 3 | · | · |
| Other or unknown | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | · | · | · |
Which trucks
11 of the 35 people struck by a tractor-trailer were hit by its side or underside. Medium/heavy pickups, rated over 10,000 lbs, struck 12 of their 13 with the front.
| Truck | People | Front | Side | Underside | Rear | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tractor-trailer | 35 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 1 | · | 3 |
| Single-unit truck | 27 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 3 | · | 1 |
| Medium/heavy pickup | 13 | 12 | 1 | · | · | · | · |
| Tractor, no trailer | 2 | 2 | · | · | · | · | · |
Freeways and everywhere else
Interstates and other freeways against every other road. On the freeway 18 of 23 were struck by the front; elsewhere 14 of 54 were struck by the side or underside.
| Road | People | Front | Side | Underside | Rear | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate or freeway | 23 | 18 | 3 | 1 | · | · | 1 |
| All other roads | 54 | 33 | 9 | 5 | 4 | · | 3 |
Where it happened
Every crash in which a large truck struck and killed someone on foot or bike. Click a point for the date, road, truck type and where on the truck the person was struck.
… / … fatal crashes
Circle size is the number of people killed in that crash.
The 18 side and underside cases
Every person in the file struck by the side or the underside of a large truck. Read it row by row: a pedestrian struck by the side of a tractor-trailer on a 55 mph highway and a cyclist caught by a truck turning at an intersection are both side strikes, and they are not the same event.
| Date | Place | Road | Person | Truck | Truck was | Struck by | Crash type | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-22 | Walla Walla | SR-125 & W ALDER | Cyclist, 61 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (4 o’clock) | Motorist Drive Through - Signalized Intersection | 35 |
| 2018-07-04 | Auburn | 4TH ST SE & D ST SE | Cyclist, 58 | Single-unit truck | Turning Left | Side (9 o’clock) | Bicyclist Overtaking - Passing on Left | 25 |
| 2019-01-09 | Auburn | B ST NW & 29TH ST NW | Personal conveyance, 55 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Underside | Motorist Exiting Driveway or Alley | — |
| 2019-03-14 | Whitman County | WILMA DR | Pedestrian, 33 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Pedestrian Loss of Control | 25 |
| 2019-07-31 | Tacoma | I-5 | Pedestrian, 64 | Tractor-trailer | No driver recorded | Underside | Driverless Vehicle | — |
| 2019-11-11 | Pierce County | SR-161 | Pedestrian, 46 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Side (3 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 50 |
| 2021-05-19 | Thurston County | 93RD AVE SE | Cyclist, 42 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Underside | Bicyclist Lost Control - Other / Unknown | 50 |
| 2021-07-05 | Jefferson County | SR-20 | Cyclist, 76 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Side (right) | Motorist Overtaking - Other/ Unknown | 50 |
| 2021-09-22 | Cowlitz County | I-5 | Pedestrian, 33 | Tractor-trailer | Changing Lanes | Side (right) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 60 |
| 2022-01-10 | Yakima County | US-97 | Pedestrian, 80 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 55 |
| 2022-01-17 | Cosmopolis | VESTA CREEK RD | Pedestrian, 53 | Tractor-trailer | No driver recorded | Underside | Other Unusual Circumstances | — |
| 2023-06-08 | SeaTac | S 163RD ST | Cyclist, 36 | Single-unit truck | Negotiating a Curve | Underside | Wrong-Way / Wrong-Side - Bicyclist | — |
| 2023-07-20 | Spokane County | SR-206 | Cyclist, 19 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Side (right-back side) | Crossing Paths - Midblock - Other / Unknown | — |
| 2023-10-08 | Pacific | FRONTAGE RD N & ELLINGSON RD | Personal conveyance, 70 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Underside | Motorist Right Turn - Parallel Paths | 35 |
| 2023-11-01 | Algona | SR-167 | Pedestrian, 63 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Lying in Roadway | 60 |
| 2024-03-22 | Mount Vernon | SR-536 | Pedestrian, 41 | Tractor-trailer | Negotiating a Curve | Side (right) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 25 |
| 2024-07-18 | Pierce County | SR-702 | Pedestrian, 79 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (3 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 55 |
| 2024-09-25 | Island County | SR-20 & EBEY RD | Pedestrian, 31 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 45 |
Limit is the posted speed limit recorded for the truck, in mph. Crash type is the FARS pedestrian or bicyclist crash-typing code. 2024 rows are preliminary.
All 77 people, including front and rear strikes
| Date | Place | Road | Person | Truck | Truck was | Struck by | Crash type | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-22 | Walla Walla | SR-125 & W ALDER | Cyclist, 61 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (4 o’clock) | Motorist Drive Through - Signalized Intersection | 35 |
| 2018-05-06 | Federal Way | S 320TH ST | Cyclist, 52 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Drive-Out - Commercial Driveway | — |
| 2018-07-04 | Auburn | 4TH ST SE & D ST SE | Cyclist, 58 | Single-unit truck | Turning Left | Side (9 o’clock) | Bicyclist Overtaking - Passing on Left | 25 |
| 2018-07-11 | Seattle | I-5 CD16563 | Pedestrian, 33 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2018-09-07 | Tukwila | I-405 | Pedestrian, 24 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2018-12-04 | Olympia | MARTIN WAY E & ENSIGN RD NE | Personal conveyance, 51 | Medium/heavy pickup | Turning Right | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Exiting Driveway or Alley | 35 |
| 2018-12-26 | Pateros | WARREN AVE & EVELINE ST | Personal conveyance, 11 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Play Vehicle-Related | 25 |
| 2018-12-27 | Grant County | I-90 | Pedestrian, 31 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 70 |
| 2018-12-28 | Redmond | NE 28TH ST & 152ND AVE NE | Pedestrian, 68 | Single-unit truck | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | — |
| 2019-01-09 | Auburn | B ST NW & 29TH ST NW | Personal conveyance, 55 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Underside | Motorist Exiting Driveway or Alley | — |
| 2019-01-15 | Burlington | I-5 | Pedestrian, 27 | Tractor-trailer | Changing Lanes | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 60 |
| 2019-02-05 | Tacoma | E 27TH ST & PORTLAND AVE | Pedestrian, 47 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Right Turn - Parallel Paths | 30 |
| 2019-03-14 | Whitman County | WILMA DR | Pedestrian, 33 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Pedestrian Loss of Control | 25 |
| 2019-03-25 | Clark County | I-5 | Pedestrian, 25 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2019-07-18 | Tacoma | E 28TH ST | Pedestrian, 32 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Not recorded | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 25 |
| 2019-07-27 | Marysville | SR-529 | Pedestrian, 55 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway Against Traffic - From Front | 55 |
| 2019-07-31 | Tacoma | I-5 | Pedestrian, 64 | Tractor-trailer | No driver recorded | Underside | Driverless Vehicle | — |
| 2019-09-10 | Kirkland | I-405 | Pedestrian, 37 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Not recorded | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 60 |
| 2019-09-28 | Pierce County | SR-7 | Personal conveyance, 49 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 35 |
| 2019-10-21 | Seattle | SR-99 & N 98TH ST | Pedestrian, 81 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Multiple Threat | 35 |
| 2019-11-03 | Vancouver | I-5 | Pedestrian, 36 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2019-11-11 | Pierce County | SR-161 | Pedestrian, 46 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Side (3 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 50 |
| 2020-03-01 | Yakima County | US-97 | Pedestrian, 46 | Tractor-trailer | Negotiating a Curve | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 55 |
| 2020-06-26 | Spokane County | SR-206 | Cyclist, 65 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Overtaking - Other/ Unknown | 50 |
| 2020-10-02 | Spokane | N MARKET ST & E GARLAND AVE | Pedestrian, 58 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | — |
| 2021-01-26 | Yakima County | LATERAL A RD | Pedestrian, 23 | Single-unit truck | Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 55 |
| 2021-02-23 | Clark County | I-5 | Pedestrian, 20 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 60 |
| 2021-03-16 | Lacey | I-5 | Pedestrian, 44 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2021-03-19 | King County | SR-18 | Pedestrian, 47 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Not At Intersection - Other / Unknown | 60 |
| 2021-03-24 | Seattle | CORSON AVE S & S MICHIGAN ST | Cyclist, 54 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Not recorded | Unknown Approach Paths | 25 |
| 2021-04-05 | Renton | OLYMPIC CT SE | Pedestrian, 60 | Single-unit truck | Backing Up | Rear (6 o’clock) | Backing Vehicle - Trafficway | 25 |
| 2021-04-21 | Ephrata | SR-28 & FIRST AVE NW | Pedestrian, 82 | Medium/heavy pickup | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | 25 |
| 2021-05-19 | Thurston County | 93RD AVE SE | Cyclist, 42 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Underside | Bicyclist Lost Control - Other / Unknown | 50 |
| 2021-06-08 | Kent | SR-181 & WASHINGTON AVE N | Personal conveyance, 55 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Rear (5 o’clock) | Motorist Right Turn on Red - Parallel Paths | 30 |
| 2021-07-05 | Jefferson County | SR-20 | Cyclist, 76 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Side (right) | Motorist Overtaking - Other/ Unknown | 50 |
| 2021-07-14 | Seattle | 37TH AVE S | Pedestrian, 29 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Not recorded | Lying in Roadway | 20 |
| 2021-07-28 | Seattle | LENORA ST & 5TH AVE | Pedestrian, 72 | Single-unit truck | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | 25 |
| 2021-08-10 | Cowlitz County | I-5 | Pedestrian, 24 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 60 |
| 2021-09-16 | Tukwila | SR-181 & S 180TH ST | Pedestrian, 43 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 40 |
| 2021-09-22 | Cowlitz County | I-5 | Pedestrian, 33 | Tractor-trailer | Changing Lanes | Side (right) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 60 |
| 2021-10-10 | King County | I-90 | Pedestrian, 28 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 60 |
| 2021-11-24 | Kent | SR-167 | Pedestrian, 42 | Tractor, no trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2021-12-06 | Renton | S GRADY WAY | Pedestrian, 64 | Single-unit truck | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | — |
| 2022-01-03 | Des Moines | SR-99 & SR-516 | Pedestrian, 41 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Turn / Merge - Other / Unknown | 45 |
| 2022-01-04 | Whatcom County | SR-9 | Pedestrian, 47 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 50 |
| 2022-01-04 | Lewis County | GORE RD & EQUINE DR | Pedestrian, 80 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | At Intersection - Other / Unknown | 50 |
| 2022-01-10 | Yakima County | US-97 | Pedestrian, 80 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 55 |
| 2022-01-11 | Napavine | I-5 | Pedestrian, 46 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2022-01-13 | Douglas County | SR-28 | Pedestrian, 28 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Not At Intersection - Other / Unknown | 60 |
| 2022-01-17 | Cosmopolis | VESTA CREEK RD | Pedestrian, 53 | Tractor-trailer | No driver recorded | Underside | Other Unusual Circumstances | — |
| 2022-02-15 | Milton | I-5 | Pedestrian, 49 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Not At Intersection - Other / Unknown | 60 |
| 2022-03-15 | King County | SR-900 | Pedestrian, 58 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 50 |
| 2022-03-19 | Federal Way | I-5 | Pedestrian, 41 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Not At Intersection - Other / Unknown | 60 |
| 2022-06-12 | Yakima County | SUMMITVIEW RD | Cyclist, 66 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Overtaking - Other/ Unknown | 50 |
| 2022-08-08 | Clallam County | W SILBERHORN RD | Cyclist, 71 | Single-unit truck | Backing Up | Rear (6 o’clock) | Backing Vehicle | 25 |
| 2022-09-28 | Seattle | 1ST AVE S | Pedestrian, 36 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Dart-Out - Visual Obstruction Noted | 35 |
| 2022-10-27 | Seattle | ELLIS AVE S & E MARGINAL WAY S | Pedestrian, 61 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Turn / Merge - Other / Unknown | 25 |
| 2022-12-06 | Kennewick | W 4TH AVE & S OLYMPIA ST | Pedestrian, 32 | Medium/heavy pickup | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | 30 |
| 2023-01-17 | Bothell | I-405 | Pedestrian, 41 | Tractor, no trailer | Negotiating a Curve | Front (12 o’clock) | Disabled Vehicle-Related | 60 |
| 2023-05-27 | Spokane County | N WOOD RD & W FOURMOUND RD | Cyclist, 46 | Tractor-trailer | Other | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Overtaking - Other/ Unknown | 45 |
| 2023-06-08 | SeaTac | S 163RD ST | Cyclist, 36 | Single-unit truck | Negotiating a Curve | Underside | Wrong-Way / Wrong-Side - Bicyclist | — |
| 2023-07-17 | Skagit County | WYLIE RD | Pedestrian, 39 | Single-unit truck | Backing Up | Rear (6 o’clock) | Backing Vehicle - Trafficway | — |
| 2023-07-20 | Spokane County | SR-206 | Cyclist, 19 | Single-unit truck | Turning Right | Side (right-back side) | Crossing Paths - Midblock - Other / Unknown | — |
| 2023-08-30 | Kent | SR-516 & 132ND AVE SE | Cyclist, 27 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Bicyclist Left Turn - Opposite Direction | 45 |
| 2023-10-08 | Pacific | FRONTAGE RD N & ELLINGSON RD | Personal conveyance, 70 | Tractor-trailer | Turning Right | Underside | Motorist Right Turn - Parallel Paths | 35 |
| 2023-10-30 | King County | SR-203 | Pedestrian, 80 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 50 |
| 2023-11-01 | Algona | SR-167 | Pedestrian, 63 | Single-unit truck | Going Straight | Side (right-back side) | Lying in Roadway | 60 |
| 2024-01-03 | Pierce County | 224TH ST E & 84TH AVE CT E | Pedestrian, 67 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Walking/Running Along Roadway With Traffic - From Behind | 40 |
| 2024-01-28 | Vancouver | NE FOURTH PLAIN BLVD | Pedestrian, 67 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 40 |
| 2024-03-22 | Mount Vernon | SR-536 | Pedestrian, 41 | Tractor-trailer | Negotiating a Curve | Side (right) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 25 |
| 2024-05-15 | Clark County | I-205 | Pedestrian, 18 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Crossing an Expressway | 60 |
| 2024-06-01 | Clark County | NE 23RD CT | Pedestrian, 1 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Playing in Roadway | — |
| 2024-07-18 | Pierce County | SR-702 | Pedestrian, 79 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (3 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 55 |
| 2024-08-16 | Spokane | US-2 & E LINCOLN AVE | Pedestrian, 46 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Dash - Run, No Visual Obstruction Noted | 30 |
| 2024-09-25 | Island County | SR-20 & EBEY RD | Pedestrian, 31 | Tractor-trailer | Going Straight | Side (right) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 45 |
| 2024-09-27 | Spokane Valley | SR-27 | Pedestrian, 73 | Medium/heavy pickup | Going Straight | Front (12 o’clock) | Pedestrian Failed to Yield | 35 |
| 2024-12-09 | Seattle | 14TH AVE S & S HENDERSON ST | Pedestrian, 56 | Medium/heavy pickup | Turning Left | Front (12 o’clock) | Motorist Left Turn - Parallel Paths | 25 |
The underride gap in Washington’s records
The side guards in city ordinances are aimed at people walking and biking. The side underride guards in the federal proceeding are aimed at a different death: a car that goes under the side of a trailer. The federal crash census is where that death would be counted, and for Washington it has largely stopped being recorded.
| Records | Vehicles | Underride recorded | “Not reported” |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, 2018–2020 | 179 | 14 (7.8%) | no such code |
| Rest of the US, 2018–2020 | 11,929 | 615 (5.2%) | no such code |
| Washington, 2021–2024 | 261 | 0 (0%) | 225 (86.2%) |
| Rest of the US, 2021–2024 | 17,924 | 1,419 (7.9%) | 4,712 (26.3%) |
Vehicles are every vehicle other than a large truck or a motorcycle in a fatal crash
that involved a large truck. FARS replaced its UNDERIDE variable with
UNDEROVERRIDE in 2021; the older variable had no “not reported” code.
What the gap means
In 2018–2020 Washington recorded an underride for 7.8% of these vehicles, close to the 5.2% elsewhere. From 2021 it recorded none, and 86.2% of its entries read “not reported”, while the rest of the country went on recording underrides at 7.9%.
Nothing else in the file suggests Washington’s truck crashes changed that sharply; what changed is what the record captures. While the field goes unreported, federal data cannot say how many people in Washington died in a vehicle that went under a truck, or under which part of it.
Where side guards stand
- Seattle, executive order. Executive Order 2026-05, signed by Mayor Katie B. Wilson on August 21, 2026, directs the City to plan fleet retrofits that put freight and heavy vehicles first, with features including side guards, and to report by January 31, 2027 on requiring side guards and other safety equipment on City contractors’ Class 6 and larger vehicles. The order’s state legislative agenda covers other ground: liability protection for street changes made after a fatal crash, the dollar limits on work City crews can deliver, local authority to ban right turns on red, a 0.05 blood-alcohol limit, and transportation benefit district fees, plus a review of peer practice due July 30, 2027 to inform future agendas.
- Seattle, City Council. Councilmember Rob Saka’s traffic-safety package includes a bill seeking side-guard requirements (“truck lateral protective devices”) for vehicles operated by City contractors. It cites Boston, which wrote side-guard requirements into city code in 2014 (The Urbanist, September 14, 2026).
- Federal. No federal standard requires side guards. NHTSA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on side underride guards for trailers and semitrailers on April 21, 2023.
Policy status as of 2026-09-15. This page reports crash data and takes no position on any bill or order.
What this study cannot tell you
Whether a side guard would have changed the outcome. FARS does not record whether the truck had side guards, and nothing in a crash census can say what a guard would have done in a particular crash.
What happened after first contact. FARS records the area of impact for the event in which each person was struck, not the full sequence that followed.
Serious injuries. FARS is fatal-only. Side guards are also argued for on injury grounds, and WSDOT’s collision data is the place to test that.
Precise shares for Washington alone. 77 deaths in seven years is a small number to split six ways. The national figures, built the same way on 3,939 deaths, are the steadier guide to the proportions.
Methodology
- Source. NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), National CSV downloads for 2018 through 2024, accessed 2026-09-15. nhtsa.gov.
- Who is in the study. Pedestrians and cyclists killed in Washington
(
INJ_SEV = 4) whose striking vehicle (STR_VEH) was a large truck:BODY_TYP60–64, 66, 67, 71, 72 or 78. Pedestrians arePER_TYP5 plus people on a personal conveyance (6 of the 64); cyclists are 6 or 7. The 5 pedestrians killed in a truck crash but struck by another vehicle are not included. - Where on the truck. The area of impact recorded on the truck for the
crash event in which it struck a pedestrian, cyclist or person on a personal
conveyance (
cevent, sequence-of-events codes 8, 9 and 15). Where the truck has no such event, or its events disagree on the zone, the truck’s initial contact point (IMPACT1) is used instead. That fallback was needed for none of the 77 Washington deaths and for 32 of the 3,939 national ones. - Zones. Clock points 11, 12 and 1 are the front; 2 to 4 and 8 to 10, plus the side codes FARS uses for long vehicles, are the side; 5 to 7 are the rear; and the undercarriage code is the underside. Every record carries its raw area of impact in the download, so the zones can be regrouped.
- National comparison. The same definitions run across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Washington included, for the same seven years.
- Truck movement and crash type. The truck’s pre-crash movement is
P_CRASH1. Crash type comes from the FARS pedestrian and bicyclist file, joined on(ST_CASE, VEH_NO, PER_NO). Freeways are functional classes 1 and 2. - Underride. Counted over every vehicle other than a large truck or a
motorcycle in a fatal crash involving a large truck. 2018–2020 use
UNDERIDEcodes 1–6; 2021–2024 useUNDEROVERRIDEcode 1, with code 8 as “not reported”. - Reproducibility. Every figure on this page is generated by one script from the unmodified FARS downloads. Nothing is typed in by hand.
Cite this study
Republish freely under CC BY 4.0. Use it in testimony, a legislative briefing or a story without asking us.
AccidentLawyerReview, "Where on the Truck: Pedestrians and Cyclists Killed by Large Trucks in Washington, 2018-2024," 2026-09-15. https://accidentlawyerreview.com/research/crash-atlas/washington/truck-side-guards/
Need a different cut, such as a legislative district, a single county, or the same analysis for another state? Email research@accidentlawyerreview.com. Free, no conditions.
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- vru_struck_by_truck.csv: all 77 people, one row each, with the raw area of impact, truck type and movement, crash type, light, road class, posted limit and coordinates.
- side_guards.json: every table on this page, the national comparison and the underride check.
- points.csv: every fatal large-truck crash in Washington, from the statewide study.
Licensed CC BY 4.0. FARS itself is US federal public-domain data.
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AccidentLawyerReview is an independent public-data directory of US personal-injury law firms. We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. This study aggregates public crash records for journalists, advocates, and residents; it does not interpret any specific legal claim.