A serious crash involving a semi or tractor-trailer can occur anywhere in Missouri on any day of the week. But an analysis of federal truck accident data shows that accidents involving large trucks are more likely to happen on weekdays. Tuesdays are among the most dangerous days for 18-wheeler accidents in Missouri.
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Truck driver errors
Poorly maintained trucks and equipment
Driver fatigue
Errors on the part of commercial truck drivers are a leading contributor to truck crashes. Speeding, driving too fast for road conditions, tailgating and inattention are examples of driver errors that cause truck accidents.
Some trucking companies try to cut corners on fleet maintenance and allow unsafe vehicles on the road. Brake-related violations accounted for eight of the top 20 vehicle violations in 2020, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Many truck drivers violate the hours-of-service limits and push themselves to drive when dangerously fatigued. Drowsy driving impairs a driver’s ability to recognize hazardous situations and respond quickly to avoid an accident.
The majority of crashes involving semis and tractor-trailers in Missouri happen on weekdays when more commercial trucks are transporting goods. Tuesday had the highest cumulative number of truck crashes and the highest number of fatal truck accidents in Missouri over the last 10 years.
More than 23,000 large trucks accidents occurred on Tuesdays in Missouri from 2011 to 2020, a higher total than any other day.
In 2020, the most recent year of data, one of every five deadly truck accidents in Missouri occurred on Tuesdays. Over the 10-year period, a total of 195 fatal crashes involving large trucks in Missouri occurred on Tuesdays, the highest total of any day of the week.
Friday is another dangerous day of the week for truck accidents. Interstate truck drivers may have driven thousands of miles by the end of the week and be fighting fatigue to get home on Friday nights. A review of 10 years of Missouri crash data by day of the week showed that Fridays had the second-highest number of total truck accidents and fatal truck crashes from 2011 to 2020.
| Day of the Week | Large truck crash fatalities in Missouri (2011-2020) |
Total truck accidents (2011-2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 82 | 7,735 |
| Monday | 167 | 21,542 |
| Tuesday | 195 | 23,113 |
| Wednesday | 154 | 22,875 |
| Thursday | 177 | 22,773 |
| Friday | 183 | 22,884 |
| Saturday | 113 | 10,342 |
The clear pattern shown by the data is a higher number of truck crashes occur in Missouri on weekdays as compared to weekends. While car crashes increase on the weekends, commercial truck accidents decrease significantly on Saturday and Sunday because fewer big rigs are on the road. From 2011 to 2020, Sunday had the lowest number of crashes and fatal crashes.
A quarter of crashes involving large trucks and other commercial vehicles in Missouri occurred on interstates and interstate loops in 2020, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. A significant percentage of truck crashes also occur on U.S. highways and Missouri state highways. Interstates and highways tend to have higher posted speed limits. Higher speeds are associated with more severe injuries and fatal injuries.
The 10 Missouri counties listed below had the highest fatality rates in crashes involving large trucks. These counties' rates’ of truck accident deaths per 100,000 population ranked in the upper third nationally for 2020.
Traffic accident statistics reflect patterns of when and where truck accidents occur. But serious accidents can occur on any urban or rural road in Missouri any day of the week. Every driver has a responsibility to drive safely. When sharing the road with large trucks, keep in mind that tractor-trailers are harder to maneuver than cars and have longer stopping distances. Trucks are 20 to 30 times heavier than passenger vehicles and may require the length of up to two football fields to stop safely. Big rigs have large blind spots on all sides in which nearby smaller vehicles may disappear from the truck driver’s view. Avoid truck blind spots by not lingering beside tractor-trailers for any longer than it takes to pass a truck. Allow trucks plenty of space to swing wide to make turns.
