Vehicle Side Underride Guard

A side underride collision guard configured to be mounted onto a commercial cargo vehicle, comprising:

• at least one wire rope segment disposed upon each side of said vehicle which resists forces developed by an impacting vehicle, and
• in which said wire rope is provided vertical and lateral support by one or more cross braces oriented substantially perpendicular to the travel axis of said vehicle such that said wire rope is kinematically linked and provides mutual reinforcement during collision, said cross braces fastening to floor beams of said vehicle used to support the floor of said vehicle when loaded with cargo,
• said cross braces being semi-permanently attached to said floor beams such that said cross braces detach from said floor beams as a result of said vehicle colliding with an impacting passenger vehicle, and
• said cross braces further remaining substantially intact and maintaining crashworthiness at the time of detachment.

A side underride collision guard configured to be mounted onto a commercial cargo vehicle having a cargo box floor, comprising:

• at least one wire rope segment disposed upon each side of said vehicle which resists forces developed by an impacting vehicle,
• wherein said wire rope is supported by one or more cross braces oriented perpendicular to the axis of the vehicle such that said wire rope on each side of said vehicle is kinematically linked and provides mutual reinforcement during a collision, and
• said cross braces providing cargo box floor support in normal use and side underride guard support during vehicle impact,
• said cross braces being fastened semi-permanently to said cargo box floor such that said cross braces detach from said cargo box floor of said vehicle during vehicle impact, and
• said cross braces remaining substantially intact and maintaining crashworthiness at the time of detachment.

An over the road powered or unpowered vehicle having a side underride collision guard comprising:

• a cargo box container mounted above the rear axle or axles of said vehicle,
• at least one force resisting wire rope segment disposed below said cargo box container to resist forces developed during a lateral impact, and
• said force resisting wire ropes being configured non-linearly for a portion of its length and routed above the outboard rear tires and wheels of said vehicle, and
• said force resisting wire rope further being disposed above, to the side, or a combination of directions to accommodate the local undercarriage geometry of said vehicle.