Large Truck Accident Statistics

Large truck accidents can be caused by a multitude of things, whether it is due to negligence, mechanical failure, or bad weather/road conditions. Numerous truck accidents occur every day in Phoenix. Most often, a large truck accident is the result of a negligent driver or a disregard in safety codes and standards of Arizona law. Truck accidents usually involve smaller vehicles that were crashed into by 18-wheelers, big rigs, semi-trucks, or tractor trailers. Because of these types of truck accidents, there is, regrettably, a great amount of people who have been seriously injured or killed.

Large Truck Accident Fatality Statistics

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and other administrations reported that a crash is labeled a truck accident if the vehicle weighs more than 10,000 pounds. In the United States alone, there are approximately 500,000 truck accidents that occur yearly. Of the 500,000 trucking accidents, the number of fatalities that occurs is nearly 5,000 or nearly 0.01%; this means that nearly 1 out of 8 fatal auto accidents involves trucks.

Injured Party Statistics

Because large trucks are so massive and weigh thousands of pounds, truck drivers do not usually become injured and rarely die in a truck accident. Since the other vehicle is significantly smaller than trucks on the other hand, the occupants of the smaller vehicle usually acquire serious and sometimes fatal injuries. This is especially apparent when only 2% of fatalities in truck accidents are the truck drivers, and 98% of fatalities in truck accidents are the occupants of smaller vehicles, including the driver and any passengers.

Commercial Truck Accidents Fatalities Statistics

The amount of commercial trucks on the road is increasing. Regrettably, this means that the number of truck crashes and deaths each year are growing as well. According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the amount of trucks registered in 1975 was 5,362,369, and the number of fatalities that year was 3,722. However, the number of trucks registered in 2005 was 8,481,999, and the number of fatalities that occurred that year was 4,533. These statistics obviously show how the number of large trucks that are registered correlates to the number of fatalities that occur in truck accidents.

Time, Day, and Location Statistics

The percentage of large truck accident fatalities differs on which hours of the day, which days of the week, and where the truck accident occurred. The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 34% of fatal truck accidents occurred during the nighttime and that 66% occurred during the daytime. It is also reported that only 22% of truck accident fatalities occurred during the weekdays and 78% occurred during the weekends. As for where most of these fatal truck accidents occur, approximately 32% take place in cities and 68% take place in rural and suburban areas. Obviously the time, day, and location play an important role in fatal truck accidents.

Causes of Large Truck Accidents Statistics

Although it is assumed that drunken driving causes most truck accidents, this is not the case. As of 2003, drunk driving only accounts for 1% of truck accident fatalities. On the other hand, 30% of fatal truck accidents happen because the truck driver is fatigued due to not receiving sufficient amount of rest while on the road. Another such myth is that truck drivers are at fault for fatal truck crashes a majority of the time. However, this is not true. Only 38.6% of fatal accidents occur because of truck driver related aspects; because of this, 61.4% of fatal accidents occur because of non-truck driver related aspects.

Contact Us

Our lawyers have the experience to advise an injured victim and their family regarding the diverse issues involved with a truck accident. We will thoroughly investigate the victim's acquired injuries and their various losses. If you or a loved one has suffered a truck accident, please contact our Large Truck Accident Lawyers for a free, personal, and confidential consultation. You can contact the Law Offices of Michael Cordova at 602-265-6700.

Our lawyers not only work on large truck accident cases but in personal injury areas, as well as Wrongful Death, dog bites, motorcycle accidents, product and premises liability, and criminal defense and DUI, so please contact your local Phoenix attorneys for a free consultation.

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