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Truck News - Will Shiers
March 10, 2021
Krone has begun fitting a new rear underrun guard to its trailers to increase passive safety in traffic.
From March, the new guard design will be added to vehicles as part of the amendment of the EU directive UN/ECE-R 58 ÄS 03 which hopes to reduce the number of fatal rear-end collisions involving trucks.
According to research by GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study) 60% of all rear-end passenger car collisions on trucks/trailers end fatally which is why the directive will become mandatory by 1 September 2021.
The new EU directive requires up to a twofold increase in force absorption, longer lever arms and a reduction in the maximum distance to the road surface from 550 mm to 450 mm. In order to meet the requirements, the Krone developers have used thicker high-strength steels and completely redesigned the entire rear underrun guard.
The new system for the Profi Liner, Mega Liner, Cool Liner and Dry Liner trailers as well as for the Load Carrier trailers now uses bolted instead of welded connections.
If damaged, the new guard is now easier to repair, however, it’s not all good news as the weight of the new rear underrun guards in the standard range has increased by an average of 22 kg – this is due to the larger dimensions required by law, the higher weight and the use of higher material grades.
In addition, the new guards will cost more, and will start at a €200 premium over the current design.
