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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Truck Lateral Protective Device (LPD) Resources

Note: the term "side guard" is used colloquially throughout this webpage and related materials, but refers to "lateral protective devices" and not to "underride" guards. 

Truck lateral protective devices are vehicle-based safety devices designed to keep pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists from being run over by a large truck’s rear wheels in a side-impact collision.

A close-up of a side guard on a truck.The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is monitoring this technology’s adoption in the United States, and has conducted research and partnered with public- and private-sector fleets to help deploy lateral protective devices and other technologies that address the deadliest road crashes: those between large trucks and pedestrians or bicyclists.

While large trucks comprise 4 percent of registered vehicles, large trucks are involved in 10 percent of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. In 2018, these nonmotorist fatalities rose to 541, the highest since 1990.

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is also assisting a national network of early adopters in the area of truck lateral protective devices and other truck safety technologies related to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists—known as vulnerable road users.

This page is intended to offer general knowledge and resources for municipalities as well as private-sector businesses that are seeking information or considering adopting this technology.

Last updated: Thursday, July 27, 2023