Truck accidents are a serious problem on the roads with thousands of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians being injured or killed in accidents with trucks each year. Trucks are large and heavy and capable of deadly accidents that produce horrendous injuries, significant damage to property and tragic loss of life.
Knowing truck accident statistics can raise awareness, emphasize the significance of road safety, and ensure that everyone stays on alert, especially on the roads. Below you’ll discover key truck accident statistics and why they’re important to truck drivers and other drivers alike. Find out more here https://www.baselinemag.com/news/truck-accidents-are-on-the-rise-what-it-means/.
Truck Accidents Are More Common Than You Think
Truck accidents are nothing new in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says only about 10 percent of all fatal crashes involve large trucks, but their wrecks are more likely to be fatal than those caused by other vehicles.
Cars and motorcycles comprise more of the traffic, but trucks, due to size and weight, pose a particularly dangerous cause for crashes. On average, there are 500,000 accidents each year involving large trucks in the U.S. alone, and 5,000 of those end in fatalities. You can also check out trends in truck accident rates to discover more.
Fatalities in Truck Accidents Mostly Involve Passenger Vehicles
A big stat is that most people killed in truck traffic accidents are inside the vehicles! In actual fact, data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that over 72% of the people killed in truck crashes happened to be in other vehicles.
That is largely because trucks are so physically big and weigh so much that the impact of even a fender bender with a large truck is too much for passenger cars to sustain.
Truck Driver Fatalities Are Also High
There is still danger for truck drivers, even though their bigger vehicles provide some protection. About 1,000 truck drivers die every year in crashes. This sad fact is made worse by long hours, tired drivers, and the physical demands of driving such big trucks.
It’s becoming clearer to trucking companies that better scheduling and safety training are needed to keep drivers from getting tired and crashes from happening, but the numbers are still scary. Discover more here.
The Role of Speeding in Truck Accidents
A big reason for many truck crashes is speeding. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that speeding is a factor in almost one-third of all fatal truck accidents. Speed makes it harder for big trucks to stop and makes accidents more likely to be dangerous.
Trucks are much heavier and bigger than cars, so it takes them longer to stop completely. This is why speeding in a truck can be very dangerous. Truck drivers must slow down in order to stay in control and safely deal with road dangers.
Driver Fatigue Is a Leading Cause of Truck Accidents
One of the main reasons trucks crash is that the driver is tired. According to the FMCSA, tired drivers are to blame for about 13% of truck accidents. There are times when truck drivers have to work long shifts, and they may have to drive for 11 hours straight.
Even though the law requires drivers to take breaks, many of them still drive too fast to meet their deadlines. Being tired slows down your ability to react, make decisions, and focus, which makes it just as risky as driving while drunk. Trucking companies are now enforcing stricter hours-of-service rules to keep drivers from getting too tired, but this is still a big problem in the business.
Distracted Driving in the Trucking Industry
Drivers of commercial trucks also have a lot of problems with being distracted while driving. Some truck accidents happen because the driver isn’t paying attention, like when they’re on the phone, fiddling with their GPS, or eating while they’re driving. Because truck drivers are on the road for so long, it’s easy for them to get sidetracked.
But when they’re driving a huge vehicle like a truck, even a few seconds of attention can have terrible results. A lot of trucking companies have rules that say drivers can’t use their phones while they’re on the job, and some trucks now have technology that keeps drivers focused and reduces distractions.
Impact of Weather Conditions on Truck Accidents
About 23% of truck crashes are caused by bad weather. Rain, fog, ice, and snow all make it hard for truck drivers to drive. Because they are less stable and need more space to stop, big trucks are especially at risk in these situations.
For example, tires lose a lot of their grip on icy roads, which raises the risk of spinning or jackknifing, which is when the trailer swings out to make a right angle with the truck cab. Dealing with a truck in bad weather is harder than usual, so extra care and slower speeds are needed to avoid crashes.
