The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is accepting comment until Dec. 20 on a technical report (.pdf file) on anti-lock braking systems in heavy truck-tractors and trailers.
According to a notice (.pdf file) published in the Aug. 20 Federal Register, the technical report covers NHTSA’s Safety Standard 121, Air Brake Systems. The standard requires an ABS on tractors manufactured on or after March 1, 1997, and air-braked semi-trailers and single-unit trucks manufactured on or after March 1, 1998.
Findings from the report, released in July, show:
- The best estimate of a reduction by an ABS on the tractor unit for air-braked tractor-trailers is 3 percent. The findings are based on data from seven states.
- An ABS can influence a large reduction in jack-knife crashes, off-road overturns and at-fault involvements in collisions with other vehicles (except front-to-rear collisions).
