The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services has completed truck side-guard safety installations with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), upgrading 335 trucks between the two agencies.

Side-guards are inexpensive and common-sense protections to help keep pedestrians, bicyclists, or children from being caught in the gap of a truck and badly hurt or killed, according to the city, which reported the news in a June 15 NYC/DCAS fleet newsletter.

Of DOT’s city-owned trucks, 88% are complete with side-guards or soon to be replaced by new trucks with side-guards. For the New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY), 57% of the units have side-guards or have new safer trucks on route. DSNY has the largest program in general, with 1,630 total trucks using side-guards today.

In 2015, New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill that requires side guards on 10,000 city and private refuse trucks by 2024 to reduce deaths and serious injuries during collisions with passengers.

Overall, the city fleet is now at 70% compliance with 3,170 trucks using side-guards.