YOU HAVE THE SPECS – WE HAVE THE KITS
In a call to action Secretary of Transportation Anthony R. Foxx said, “Americans are increasingly walking and riding bicycles to commute, run errands, get exercise, access public transportation, and save money.” Unfortunately with this increase he states that, “…in the past few years we have seen rising numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities related to collisions with motor vehicles”
Walker Blocker Truck Side Guards were created in response to a call to action that addresses the deadliest road crashes, those side impact collisions between pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists, and large trucks. Our side guards are designed to keep pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists from moving under the truck bed or trailer and being run over in side-impact collisions.
The Walker Blocker is installed on the sides of vehicles in those open areas between the front and back tires where there are gaps.
These are the areas that are most dangerous in side-impact collisions. Often it is not the impact that kills people, it is when they are pulled under the truck and run over by the rear tires. In most cases, the Walker Blocker prevents that from happening.
Side Guards have been a topic of conversation for many years in the US, however in other parts of the world like Japan, UK and the European Union, Side Guards have been mandated as early as the 1980’s. There is no doubt that side guards reduce fatalities and save lives. The conversation is currently growing in the US and with the growing popularity of the Vision Zero Network, now is the time to get ahead of the curve and make your trucks safe!
Why Choose Walker Blocker Side Guards?
Our Side Guards combine safety and practicality. Our modular system allows you to up fit your trucks with an off the shelf product or create exactly what you need. Send us the specs of your truck or fleet and we’ll send you the kits you need! Our kits come with all the parts needed and do not require any special tools for installation. We have complete DIY instructions and for convenience, partner with local installers in your area.
The goal of the Walker Blocker is to Save lives today! We follow all safety recommendations and believe in the Vision Zero Network (http://visionzeronetwork.org/ ) which is: “A strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.” There are over 20 Vision Zero compliant cities in the US striving towards safer streets. Installing the Walker Blocker on your trucks is your first step towards saving lives!
The Walker Blocker is Certified Compliant observing Volpe’s (The National Transportation Systems Center) dimensional and strength recommendations.
Testimonials
Once the City of Portland secured funding to retrofit its entire fleet with side guards, the Vision Zero team selected Walker Blocker side guards as the right product for the retrofit. The decision was based on feedback we received from a pilot project conducted by our Bureau of Planning & Sustainability.
Throughout the retrofit process, Doug from Walker Blocker is helpful when determining the proper side guard fit for each vehicle to meet the Volpe standard and he is also extremely adept at navigating each bureau’s varying operational needs. I have largely been able to supervise from afar while Walker Blocker coordinated the installation schedules and product deliveries, making it easier for me to tackle other Vision Zero initiatives. Doug has paid a lot of close personal attention to this project, making trips to Portland to inspect vehicles when needed and building relationships with the staff members who work with the vehicles daily.
The City of Portland has been working to make the streets of our city safer through a plan called Vision Zero, a plan to reduce traffic deaths. An element of this plan is to install side guards to close the side openings on large trucks. This reduces the risk to wheel chair users, cyclists, walking pedestrians that inherently occur when truck drivers face the challenges of navigating blind spots while making turns in busy, dense city.
Walker Blocker has been an excellent partner in developing a product and installation service that meets the recommended safety specifications of the USDOT and is flexible enough to cater to the complex nature of garbage and recycling trucks.
Doug Strauss has been particularly instrumental in working as a diplomatic and knowledgeable voice when working with garbage and recycling collection companies and the City of Portland, balancing safety of the community, while having minimum impact on driver operations and truck performance.
Doug Strauss was instrumental in helping our fleet comply to the City of Portland’s side guard installation for our fleet. He worked with our purchasing manager getting us the best price, worked with the City to make sure our fleet would comply with all City requirements and worked with our local installers to be sure the installation would be done by the deadline we set.
With his help, our entire fleet of 129 trucks had their side guard installation completed within 3 months. We were able to have our invoices to the City processed to get our reimbursement before the City had to put the entire program on hold for a year.
He was a pleasure to work with and made the paperwork end of this process seamless.
Call or Email Us Today and we will walk you through the process!
(800) 733-7450