A good first step, but this really needs to be implemented nationally as a Federal safety mandate:
At least 200 municipal trucks will be outfitted with side guards this year as city officials try to cut down on pedestrian and bicyclist deaths. The side guards — actually rails — to be installed between the trucks front and rear wheels help keep people involved in a collision with a truck from being dragged underneath, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said in a news release.
While trucks make up less than 4 percent of vehicles on city roads, collisions with trucks account for 12.3 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 32 percent of bicyclist fatalities, city officials said.
Systemic Failure 
While this helps, the sideguards need to be properly designed to actually be effective.
Far more useful would be for drivers to realize that cyclists MOVE, so if you need to pass ’em with your truck and turn right, that’s DIFFERENT than taking a right turn around a traffic cone.
Too often I get passed & right-hooked by motorists who seem to think that once they are past me that I’m completely out of their light cone.
Sounds like a good idea. What’s the unit cost of them?
It probably doesn’t make as much impact on city vehicles, but side guards that are a solid sheet filling the space between the wheels also improve mileage of the truck. Seems like that would be sufficient reason to push for them beyond the safety improvements.
The company chosen to supply the Side Underride protection devices is Airflow Deflector.
Their side guards are a complete system for installation on trucks. It consists of two panels made of a unique combination of fiberglass, resin and other specialized materials that provides a very strong, flexible deflection type panel that can reduce, eliminate or prevent the risk of both death and injury to pedestrian and bicyclists who may inadvertently come into contact with the side of larger vehicles.
Toll Free Line | 866-717-8737 extension 634
Email | rmartineau@airflowdeflector.com