Trucking Fatalities Reach Highest Level In 30 Years

Last week in our blog we covered auto accident statistics in the U.S. While those figures have stabilized over the last couple of decades, and in fact have seen some slight decreases since 2015, accidents involving commercial trucks appears to be rising according to 2018 data outlined in an October 2019 Trucks.com article.

The data indicated that trucker deaths continue to rise and are at their highest level in more than 30 years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A total of 885 large truck occupants died in 2018, an increase of almost 1 percent compared to the prior year and the highest number since 1988 when 911 occupants of large trucks died.

Looking beyond truckers, overall deaths involving crashes with large trucks also continue to rise. The NHTSA indicated that 4,678 people died in collisions with large trucks last year in 2018, also a 1 percent increase over 2017. Fatalities involving large trucks increased for the fourth consecutive year, the NHTSA said. Furthermore, pedestrians killed in crashes involving large trucks increased by 13 percent last year. All of this data points to the importance of maintaining safety rules currently in place.

The American Trucking Associations, the trucking industry’s largest trade group, has indicated that the federal government should consider launching a new “Large Truck Crash Causation Study” to update 2006’s examination of truck crashes. That study, the ATA said, found that road users other than truckers cause the majority of crashes with big vehicles.

Increasing deaths involving crashes in large trucks runs counter to a national trend of improved highway safety in recent years, according to Trucks.com. The Department of Transportation said more than 90 percent of traffic crashes, regardless of whether they involve a truck or not, are a result of human error.

Truck accidents that result in significant injuries can result in very complex legal issues. The attorneys at Bashore Green handle these types of cases every day and will provide the guidance you need to get what you deserve.