Some Truck Accident Statistics You Should Know About in 2021

Large truck and tractor-trailer drivers transport goods across Indiana and the Midwest. Most tractor-trailer drivers are long-haul drivers who operate trucks with weights exceeding 26,000 pounds.

Unfortunately, large trucks are involved in a disproportionate share of fatal crashes. Tractor-trailers and semis account for about 5 percent of all registered motor vehicles but are involved in about 11 percent of crash deaths, according to recent data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Most fatal truck accidents involve an automobile, and the fatality is likely to be one or more of the passenger car’s occupants. According to an Insurance Journal report, about 80% of the fatalities in road accidents involving heavy trucks in recent years have been people not in the trucks.

Large Trucks in Fatal Accidents

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data released in May 2021:

• An estimated 538,000 large trucks were involved in police-reported traffic crashes nationwide during 2019.
• In 2019, there were 5,005 people killed in crashes involving large trucks across the U.S.
• Nationwide, 71% of people killed in large-truck crashes in 2019 were occupants of other vehicles.
• In Indiana in 2019, there were 2,210 vehicles involved in fatal crashes. Of them, 149 (12.3%) were large trucks.
• In Indiana in 2019, 140 people were killed in large-truck accidents. Twenty of them were in a truck, 114 (81.4%) were in another type of vehicle, and six were nonoccupants (pedestrians, cyclists, unknown).

Injuries in Large Truck Accidents

NHTSA says that in 2019 there were an estimated 159,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks. Of them:

• 69% (110,000) were occupants of other vehicles
• 29% (46,000) were occupants of large trucks
• 3% (4,000) were nonoccupants (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.).

Causes of Large Truck Accidents

The six most common “first harmful events” in 4,415 fatal crashes involving large trucks were:

• Collision with a vehicle in motion (73.1%)
• Collision with a fixed object (9.7%)
• Collision with pedestrian (8.2%)
• The truck overturned (rollover accident) (4.2%)
• Collision with a bicycle or other personal conveyance (scooter, etc.) (2%)
• Collision with a parked motor vehicle (1.1%).

Braking capability can be a factor in truck crashes, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says. A loaded tractor-trailer weighing up to 80,000 pounds needs 20-40 percent farther than a passenger car to stop. The stopping distances increase on wet and slippery roads because of reduced traction. In some cases, a distracted truck driver may begin braking too late to avoid a collision.

Truck driver fatigue is also a known crash risk. Drivers of large trucks are allowed by federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulations to drive up to 11 hours at a stretch. IIHS surveys indicate that many drivers violate HOS regulations and work longer than permitted, and thus drive while impaired by fatigue. A drowsy truck driver takes longer to recognize traffic hazards and react to avoid them.

Only 2% of commercial truck drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2019 had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08% or higher. That is a much lower rate than among drivers of other vehicle types: 29% for motorcycles, 20% for passenger cars, and 19% for light trucks). Truck drivers are forbidden to have any measurable blood alcohol concentration while on duty or to be under the influence of alcohol, and drivers undergo random testing for alcohol and other drugs.

Large-truck drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2019 had a higher percentage (22.9%) of previously recorded crashes compared to drivers of other vehicle types (motorcycles, 22%; passenger cars, 18.9%; and light trucks, 17.8%), NHTSA says.

Truck accidents are more likely to occur during daylight hours on weekdays when more trucks are on the road. Truck drivers travel many more miles on interstate highways than passenger car drivers, and about a fourth of truck accidents occur on interstates. They are also more likely to occur in rural areas

Also in 2019, according to NHTSA:

• 25% of fatal large-truck crashes occurred on interstate highways.
• 57% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas.
• 6% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in work zones.
• 77% of the fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on weekdays.
• Among large-truck fatal crashes during weekdays, 72% occurred during the daytime hours from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates the U.S.

The trucking industry, 602,542 interstate motor carriers and intrastate hazardous material motor carriers were operating in the United States. Of the total:

• 335,642 were for-hire carriers
• 206,378 were private carriers for specific companies
• 56,704 were both for-hire and private carriers
• 3,818 were government carriers.

Because of the potential for traffic accidents involving truck drivers, they have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Contact a Lawyer After an Accident Involving a Large Truck

If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in a collision with a large commercial truck, you need an experienced lawyer. It’s likely that the trucking company or its insurance company will try to get you to accept a settlement offer that is for far less than the fair value of your injury claim. Once you sign their form and accept their check, they can close the case and move on.

Let the dedicated legal team at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC handle your truck accident claim for you. Two of our attorneys, David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are among a select group of lawyers who have attained certification from the National Board of Trial Advocacy in the area of personal injury law pertaining to tractor-trailers, semis, buses, and other commercial vehicles. We thoroughly investigate truck accidents. We often work with a private investigator, a mechanical expert, an expert qualified to download data from a commercial truck’s black box, and an accident reconstructionist and carefully prepare each case as if it is going to trial.

Contact our Indianapolis truck accident attorneys today if you or your loved one has been injured in a truck accident. We pursue truck accident claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we only get paid when we win your case. Call or click-thru online for a free consultation. We have five offices across Indiana. If you are unable to come to us, we will come to you.