Accidents happen, but what percentage of accidents are caused by trucks?
We’ve all experienced a traffic slowdown where multiple lanes are closed while police and emergency medical services work to clear an accident scene. Often, big rigs are involved in those accidents, whether they caused it or were hit by another vehicle. It can be hard to tell what’s happened while driving by.
But did you know that accident statistics are available? Multiple, reliable sources provide information, including the percentage of accidents caused by trucks and how many deaths there were. The National Safety Council, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration track these accidents.
Large Trucks Involved in Accidents
It might surprise you just how many big rigs are involved in accidents. In recent years, trucks have accounted for 10% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes, and that number is increasing every year. That number doesn’t include accidents where no one was killed, either.
These accidents happen in urban neighborhoods, rural roads, and interstate and non-interstate highways. Over 64% of accidents happen during daylight hours, and about 5% occur in work zones.
Why Do Trucks Cause Accidents?
Several factors can lead to a truck causing an accident. Two leading factors include truck braking capability and driver fatigue. Trucks need far more time to come to a complete stop than the average four-door sedan.
On average, a truck will travel 20% to 40% farther than a car before coming to a complete stop. Wet, slippery roads make that gap even wider.
Driver fatigue is also a problem, even when drivers stay within the time frames allotted by the federal government. Truck drivers are allowed to drive for up to 11 hours before stopping. But many drivers violate these regulations to get to their destinations faster. They risk not staying alert or falling asleep behind the wheel, both of which can have disastrous consequences.
Deaths Involving Large Trucks
We see the percentage of accidents involving trucks, but what about deaths? It’s most often smaller vehicles, and that’s because they weigh 20 to 30 times less than the trucks involved in these accidents. The impact alone from a crash of that caliber could easily kill someone.
But it’s not impossible for a truck driver to die in an accident they caused. In recent years, at least 16% of fatalities have been truck drivers or their passengers. Unfortunately, that percentage is rising every year.
Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks
The percentage of accidents doesn’t look good, and they’re getting even worse. Have you or someone you loved been involved in an accident caused by a truck driver? Was your car totaled? Were you injured?
If so, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries as well as your pain and suffering. Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks has over 25 years of experience representing car accident victims just like you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for your free case evaluation. We’re here for you!