Washington, DC — On April 24, members of the Advisory Committee on Underride Protection questioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) cost‑benefit analysis for a proposed side underride guard mandate, arguing that the agency’s estimates underestimate the number of lives lost and inflate the annual cost to $1.2 billion.

The committee’s scrutiny comes after NHTSA released a 2023 advance notice of proposed rulemaking that projected the new requirement would save 17.2 lives and prevent 69 injuries each year. In exchange, the agency estimated a cost of $73.5 to $103.7 million per life saved. The discussion highlighted how these figures affect the economics of compliance for owner‑operators and fleet managers who must weigh the upfront investment against potential safety gains.

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