A lateral access limitation system for a vehicle includes a first structural member configured to be coupled to a side portion of the vehicle, a second structural member including a first end and an opposing second end, the first end and the opposing second end of the second structural member releasably coupled to the first structural member, and a third structural member coupled to the second structural member. The third structural member is positioned to prevent unintended access to a protected region. The second structural member and the third structural member are configured to selectively pivot about both the first end and the opposing second end of the second structural member to facilitate accessing the protected region.

A side underride prevention system configured to be coupled to a trailer to operate in upward and downward configurations, includes a front mounting bracket assembly configured to be coupled to the trailer, a rear mounting bracket assembly configured to be coupled to the trailer at a location spaced-apart from the front mounting racket assembly, and a cable grid configured to be coupled with front anchor system and rear anchor system to extend at least partially along a length of each side of the trailer between the front mounting bracket assembly and the rear mounting bracket assembly.

A safety guard attached to and extending down from a body portion of a vehicle can pivot against a biasing force relative to the body portion if the safety guard engages an animate or inanimate object. In addition, the safety guard is mounted for vertical movement relative to the vehicle body and a support surface for the vehicle, with the vertical movement being selectively performed by an operator of the vehicle or automatically based on sensor inputs used to assess road and/or vehicle operating conditions.

A side impact guard for a trailer, including: a plurality of un-reinforced crossmember assemblies spaced out and attached to a base assembly of the trailer; a plurality of reinforced crossmember assemblies spaced out between the plurality of unreinforced crossmember assemblies; a plurality of lattice assemblies, wherein each lattice assembly is coupled to a reinforced crossmember assembly, each lattice assembly including a pair of vertical struts, a pair of diagonal struts, and a horizontal strut, wherein each of the pair of vertical struts attaches to the reinforced crossmember assembly at one end and the pair of diagonal struts at the other end, wherein each of the pair of diagonal struts attaches to the reinforced crossmember assembly at one end the vertical struts at the end, wherein the horizontal strut attaches to the pair of diagonal struts.

A side underride guard for vehicles, including trailers for tractor-trailer rigs, having a series of triangular shaped stabilizers made from a vertical section extending downwardly from the structural siderail of the trailer, a horizontal section extending from the top of the vertical section, and a diagonal section extending from the bottom of the vertical section to an inboard side of the horizontal section. A series of these stabilizers are mounted along two horizontal beams to form a triangular prism, but do not attach to crossmembers of the trailer. A pair of side underride guards are positioned on opposite sides of the trailer bed in which the two side underride guards act independently of each other.

A side underride guard comprising a first front mount disposed on a first side of a semi-trailer and a second front mount disposed on a second side of the semi-trailer, a first rear mount disposed on the first side of a semi-trailer and a second rear mount disposed on the second side of the semi-trailer, a first cable spanning between the first front mount and the first rear mount along the first side of the semi-trailer and a second cable spanning between the second front mount and the second rear mount along the second side of the semi-trailer, and one or more braces affixed to the first rear mount and second rear mount.