Insight

Let's prioritize safety in the vehicles that power our economy

March 12, 2026

By David Kidd
Vice President, Vehicle Research, IIHS

When we talk about making vehicles safer, the picture in our heads is often of SUVs, sedans and minivans carrying commuters to work or families around town on weekends. But what about the vehicles that millions of people drive as part of their jobs? From tractor-trailers and box trucks on the interstate to delivery vans and work trucks winding through our neighborhoods, commercial vehicles are an often overlooked part of the road safety landscape.

In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving heavy- or medium-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of all roadway fatalities in the U.S. Improving the safety of these vehicles is crucial as we strive toward our 30x30 vision of reducing fatalities 30% by 2030.

Gaps in the U.S. vehicle safety system make commercial vehicles riskier to both their drivers and to those they share the road with. Many government safety standards that apply to passenger vehicles don't apply to commercial vehicles, which means they often lack basic features like airbags. There are also no requirements for automatic emergency braking or other advanced driver assistance systems. These systems are particularly important when you consider that most people who die in truck crashes are other road users.

Commercial vehicles also represent a tremendous opportunity for improving safety. That's because many of them are part of large fleets operated by a single organization. A decision by that organization to prioritize safety can have a much bigger impact than a decision by an individual car buyer.

This combination of a safety gap and the opportunity for relatively quick improvements prompted IIHS-HLDI to make accelerating commercial vehicle safety one of three pillars of our strategic plan last year, along with reducing risky behavior and extending safety to everyone. Leveraging our experience in the passenger vehicle market, we plan to promote both crash avoidance and improved crashworthiness for work vehicles.

Launching new safety ratings

IIHS has been publishing safety ratings for passenger vehicles for 30 years. In empowering consumers to take safety into account in their purchases, we have steadily pushed the auto industry to do better.

Similarly, we plan to push manufacturers to build - and encourage fleets to demand - commercial vehicles that exceed existing safety requirements. This year we began evaluating cargo vans and Class 3 pickups, which have a gross vehicle weight rating from 10,001 to 14,000 pounds.

This spring, we'll release occupant protection ratings for these vehicles, based on whether they are equipped with things like airbags and advanced seat belts. At the same time, we'll be completing tests of their crash avoidance capabilities on our track, the results of which will be published later.

Cargo vans and big pickups are only the beginning. In the coming years, we expect to expand our evaluations to include box trucks and potentially even tractor-trailers.

Improving underride protection

IIHS is not completely new to the commercial vehicle space. Since 2010, we have been conducting tests of rear underride guards on semitrailers. The purpose of this required equipment is to keep a passenger vehicle that runs into the back of a truck from sliding underneath - an often deadly event. Our early testing showed that most guards were too weak to be effective.

Our Toughguardaward, launched in 2017, quickly led to industry-wide improvements. At first, trailers from only one manufacturer qualified for the award. Today, almost every new dry van trailer earns the Toughguardbadge.

In the coming years, we plan to build on this success with new evaluations of side underride guards, which few trailers currently have. By updating our award criteria, we hope to encourage the adoption of side guards, which could save over 300 lives a year.

Fleets can lead the way

Beyond the direct benefits of safer commercial vehicles, fleets can serve as proving grounds for important technologies that haven't been widely adopted in the passenger vehicle market.

One such feature that is gaining traction with fleet managers is intelligent speed assistance (ISA), which helps drivers stick to the speed limit. IIHS recently funded research into ISA adoption by fleets and is using the results to promote best practices in using the technology.

In parallel to the vehicle testing and research that IIHS is conducting, our sister organization, HLDI, has begun to curate insurance loss data for commercial vehicles. This type of information was key to our understanding of the role of crash avoidance technology in passenger vehicles. We expect it will be similarly valuable for our work on commercial vehicles, helping us pinpoint safety gaps and identify countermeasures that deliver real-world benefits.

Advancing commercial vehicle safety is a cornerstone of IIHS-HLDI's plan to reduce crash deaths in the U.S. Through independent evaluation and evidence-based guidance, we aim to help businesses and communities make safer choices. Americans rely on commercial drivers for the goods and services that power the economy. We owe it to them - and to everyone sharing the road - to make sure their vehicles are as safe as they can be.