Truck Accidents on the Rise

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that in 2021, 4,714 individuals lost their lives in large truck crashes. Among these, 16 percent were occupants of trucks, 68 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 15 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. Comparing these figures to 2009, the number of fatalities in large truck crashes increased by 50 percent, marking the highest since fatal crash data collection began in 1975. Furthermore, the number of truck occupants who died rose by 68 percent compared to the 2009 statistics.

Additionally, 3,602 people died in large truck crashes in 2013. Sixteen percent were truck occupants, 67 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 15 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists. The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes increased by 2 percent, from 3,825 to 3,906, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in fatal crashes (vehicles involved in fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks) remained steady at 1.42.

Accidents involving commercial trucks and passenger vehicles are more likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities than crashes between passenger vehicles because of the disparity in size between trucks and smaller vehicles. Large trucks are inherently more dangerous than smaller vehicles because they are harder to maneuver and require longer stopping distances than smaller vehicles.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Truck accidents have a variety of causes. Among the most common are:

• Drug use
• Driver fatigue
• Excessive speed
• Poor driving
• Improperly loaded cargo
• Equipment failure
• Unsafe road conditions
• Weather

Although the common belief is that driver fatigue is the primary cause of accidents, investigations reveal that drug use is a more frequent cause of truck accidents.

Excessive speed is another common cause of large truck crashes, found in 23 percent of accidents. Drivers sometimes ignore speed limits in an effort to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines and shorten their turnaround time. The force of impact from an 80,000-pound truck becomes more deadly with each mile of increased speed. Following other vehicles too closely increases the accident risk. Poor driving and aggressive driving also contribute to truck accidents.

Truck drivers receive special training and are subject to federal rules for the number of hours they can be on the road. Truck drivers are trained to check blind spots and carefully check all sides of the vehicle before making turns or changing lanes. Despite such training, in14 percent of large truck accidents, failure to properly check blind spots was a contributing factor.

Driving on unfamiliar roads contributes to more than 20 percent of accidents. Truck drivers often travel on unfamiliar roads and 22 percent of the accidents involved a driver not familiar with the roads he or she was traveling. Weather, road conditions, and road rage also contribute to deadly truck crashes.

Driver Fatigue and Distracted Driving Cause Accidents

Even when a driver complies with federal rules governing the number of hours he or she can be on the road without a break for sleep, drivers often stay on the road for too many consecutive hours and fatigue can affect safety. Though driver fatigue is not as frequent a cause of large truck accidents as commonly believed, it does contribute to about 13 percent of the accidents the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) studied. Fatigue and the monotony of long stretches of highway driving reduce a driver’s alertness, making him or her slower to react to conditions on the road. Distracted driving is a problem for truck drivers, as it is for all drivers. Paying attention to something other than the road—cell phones, for example, or eating and drinking—increases the risk of an accident. Inattention can cause a truck driver to lose the crucial few seconds that allow the driver to avoid a crash. Large trucks are far more challenging to maneuver than smaller vehicles and they require greater distances to slow and stop. A truck can tip over or jackknife when the driver makes a sudden or sharp maneuver. Drivers who underestimated the level of evasive action needed contributed to 7 percent of the accidents, FMCSA reports.

Equipment failure and improper maintenance also contribute to crashes. Trucking companies sometimes skimp on maintenance to avoid losing revenue when trucks are off the road for service or repairs. When a truck’s brakes fail or a tire blows out, the driver can have great difficulty bringing the truck to a safe stop off the road.

Truck Accidents on the Rise? We Can Help

Contact Truck Accidents Law Firm today if you or a loved one were involved in a trucking accident. Our legal experts are available to offer free case evaluations, or simply answer any general questions you may have about your legal rights. For more information, fill out an online form here or call 1-800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer at our firm.