Truck Accident Statistics You Should Know in 2021

Truck Accident Statistics You Should Know in 2021

Oct 7, 2021

It’s a simple fact of everyday driving – cars, motorcycles, and even pedestrians need to share the roads with large trucks. When traveling along our nation’s roads and highways, sharing said roads is hopefully not a major issue of concern. However, statistics indicate that although motor vehicle crashes have fallen over the last several decades, truck accidents have actually increased.

• Trucking Equals Major Business
• Why Truck Accidents on the Rise?
• What Types of Injuries Commonly Occur in Truck Accidents?
• What are the Most Common Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents?
• What are the Most Dangerous U.S. Roads for Truck Drivers?
• Semi-Truck Accident Statistics/Fatal Truck Accident Facts
  • According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
  • According to the World Health Organization
  • According to the FMCSA
  • According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Report Released in May 2021
  • Additionally, the NHTSA released the following statistics related to 2019 truck crashes
  • According to the Federal Highway Administration
• What Types of Damages are Recoverable After a Truck Accident?
• How Often Do Truck Accidents Happen in California?
• What Types of Damages Can I Recover After a Truck Accident?

Below we will provide some important statistics regarding truck accidents and how to safely share the roads with big-rigs, semi-trailers, 18 wheelers, box trucks, and various other types of large vehicles that have the potential to cause severe physical damage and personal injuries in the event of an accident. Additionally, we’ll review how to file a personal injury civil lawsuit with Dordulian Law Group to recover financial compensation for various types of losses sustained as a result of a truck accident.

Trucking Equals Major Business

Semi and tractor-trailers are used to transport goods and products we use every day. Data provided by statistica.com indicates that the total revenue of the U.S. trucking industry is over $791 billion, and the total operating revenue of the U.S. trucking industry is $419.2 billion. In terms of the number of employed truck drivers on the roads, the following statistics highlight the vase presence of the U.S. trucking industry:

• Annual number of packages delivered by FedEx Ground: 3.13 billion
• Annual number of mail pieces delivered by the U.S. Postal Service: 129.2 billion
• UPS’ annual domestic package revenue: $53.5 billion

Truck Accidents on the Rise

PolicyAdvice.net offers the following statistics related to an increasing number of truck accidents year-over-year:

• A 52% increase in truck accidents has been noted since 2009.
• 74% of all fatal passenger vehicle crashes involve a large truck.
• The most common cause of all truck-related accidents is tire defects (accounting for around 30%).
• Most truck accidents actually occur during the day – between noon and 3 p.m.
• 68% of all truck fatalities are passenger vehicle occupants.

Furthermore, approximately 130,000 annually suffer from truck accident-related injuries. Truck accidents are often much more severe than typical accidents involving two motor vehicles or one motor vehicle and a motorcycle. And various types of serious injuries can occur as a result of truck accidents.

What Types of Injuries Commonly Occur in Truck Accidents?

Depending on the circumstances of the crash, truck accident injuries can vary from moderate to catastrophic. Let’s look at some of the more common injuries sustained as a result of truck accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirms that in 2019 there were an estimated 159,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks. Of those crashes:

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

Common truck accident injuries may include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Mild traumatic brain injury
• Whiplash
• Broken or fractured bones
• Spinal cord injury
• Contusion or bruising
• Lacerations
• Paralysis
• Seat belt injuries
• Collar bone injuries
• Back injuries
• Soft tissue injuries
• Fatalities (wrongful death)

Schedule an appointment online for a free consultation today, or call us directly to speak to our top-rated, expert car accident attorneys.

With the exception of a fatality, if your truck accident injury was the result of another’s negligence or carelessness, a personal injury claim may be filed to recover financial compensation.

In the event of a fatality that occurred due to another’s negligence or malice, a wrongful death lawsuit may be filed to recover various types of financial damages.

What are the Most Common Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) collected hundreds of associated factors for each vehicle involved in a truck crash. The organization found that the top 10 accident factors coded for large trucks and their drivers were:

• Brake problems
• Traffic flow interruption (congestion, previous crash)
• Prescription drug use
• Traveling too fast for conditions
• Unfamiliarity with roadway
• Roadway problems
• Required to stop before crash (traffic control device, crosswalk)
• Over-the-counter drug use
• Inadequate surveillance
• Fatigue

For large truck on passenger vehicle crashes, the FMCSA identified the following 10 associated factors (listed in descending order according to how often they were coded):

• Interruption of the traffic flow
• Unfamiliarity with roadway
• Inadequate surveillance
• Driving too fast for conditions
• Illegal maneuver
• Inattention
• Fatigue
• Illness
• False assumption of other road user’s actions
• Distraction by object or person inside the vehicle

Additionally, data compiled by the FMCSA found that for passenger vehicles (but not for trucks), alcohol and illegal drug use have a statistically significant association with coding of the critical reason. These factors, combined with fatigue (coded twice as often for passenger vehicles as for large trucks) and illness (coded five times more often for passenger vehicles), show that passenger vehicle drivers were subject to adverse physical conditions more often than truck drivers were before the crashes occurred.

In other words, alcohol, illegal drugs, fatigue, and illness had a much greater impact on passenger vehicle crashes than on truck accidents.

What are the Most Dangerous U.S. Roads for Truck Drivers?

In a previous blog, we identified the most dangerous roads and highways throughout California for passenger vehicles. But Zonar Systems, a fleet management solutions company, compiled a list of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Roads for Truck Drivers in the U.S.

Those roads identified by Zonar are as follows:

1. I-10 in Alabama
2. I-95 in Florida
3. HWY-75 in Idaho
4. I-40 in Arkansas
5. US-1 in Florida
6. M-20 in Michigan
7. I-80 Nebraska
8. HWY-5 in Colorado
9. I-70 in Maryland
10. SC-35 South Carolina

Semi-Truck Accident Statistics/Fatal Truck Accident Facts

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS):

• Deaths in large truck crashes are most likely to occur on major roads (52%)
• Followed by interstates and freeways (33%)
• Followed by minor roads (14%)
• 4,136 people died in large truck crashes in 2018, 31% higher than in 2009, when truck fatalities were the lowest ever recorded.
• Trucks account for nearly 1 in 10 highway deaths yet only make up 4% of vehicles on the road.
• Deaths in large truck crashes are most likely to occur on major roads (52%), compared to interstates and freeways (33%) or minor roads (14%).

According to the World Health Organization:

• Road crashes are predicted to be the 5th leading cause of death in the United States by 2030.

According to the FMCSA:

• 32% of truck accidents involve collisions outside of the travel lane, either in other lanes or off the road.
• 6% of large truck drivers involved in fatal crashes tested positive for at least one drug in 2018.
• An estimated 29% of truck crashes involve vehicle loss of control, followed by colliding with the rear end of another vehicle (22%).
• In 2018, at least 112,000 injury crashes and 414,000 property damage-only crashes involved large trucks.

Furthermore, according to the FMCSA’s data, the six most common “first harmful events” in a total of 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 or similar vehicle) (2%)
• Collision with a parked motor vehicle (1.1%).

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Report Released in May 2021:

• A growing problem on the road, distracted driving often goes underreported but resulted in at least 2,841 lives lost in 2018.
• Speeding heightens fatality risk in truck and car accidents: 9,378 Americans lost their lives to speeding in 2018.
• 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.

Additionally, the NHTSA released the following statistics related to 2019 truck crashes:

• 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 Highway Administration:

• Semi-trucks account for 42% of all miles driven by commercial vehicles on U.S. roadways.

Ready to file a claim and pursue justice through a financial damages award? Our expert attorneys are available online or by phone now.

What Types of Damages are Recoverable After a Truck Accident?

Truck accidents can leave victims with catastrophic injuries that require extensive medical care and mounting expenses. Some common damages that the experienced and trusted attorneys at Dordulian Law Group (DLG) will fight to recover on your behalf after an unfortunate truck accident include:

• Hospital and medical bills
• Physical therapy costs
• Rehabilitation costs
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Reduced quality of life
• Psychological trauma
• Emotional distress
• Physical damage to your vehicle or possessions

When you’re injured in a truck accident, don’t settle for just any attorney to handle the important responsibility of fighting to recover maximum financial compensation for your claim. Choose California’s leading truck accident lawyers led by former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, Sam Dordulian. With over 100 jury trial victories and a 98% success record, you can have peace of mind knowing that your truck accident claim is in the best possible hands.

Unlike settlement mill firms that may be quick to accept a lowball of unfair offer, we prepare every case for trial. With Dordulian’s courtroom experience, you can be confident that we’ll fight to recover the maximum financial damages award you deserve following a truck accident injury.

DLG’s experience and proven results are why California truck accident victims consistently choose us to handle their claims and help ensure justice is secured. DLG provides clients added advantages and benefits that can’t be found elsewhere:

• More than $100,000,000 successfully recovered in settlements and verdicts
• Over 25 years of experience
• A 98% success record
• Former Deputy District Attorney for L.A. County
• More than 100 jury trial victories
• In-house Chief Investigator/retired LAPD detective
• Former auto insurance defense attorneys fighting for you

Contact us today online or by phone at 866-GO-SEE-SAM for a free and no obligation consultation. When you bring your truck accident claim to one of our dedicated team members, we’ll begin an exhaustive process in pursuit of justice on your behalf that includes:

1. Reviewing the facts of your truck accident case
2. Launching a thorough investigation led by our in-house Chief Investigator and retired LAPD Central Traffic Division detective, Moses Castillo
3. Developing an aggressive but precise legal strategy in pursuit of maximum financial compensation

DLG’s No Win/No Fee Guarantee means all California truck accident victims are able to secure the absolute best legal representation available without ever having to worry about upfront costs or out-of-pocket expenses. You don’t pay a penny until we successfully recover a maximum financial damages award for your truck accident injury.

If you’ve suffered any type of injury as a result of a truck accident, you could be facing years of chronic pain and medical expenses. Accordingly, you need a skilled, trusted, and proven attorney like Sam Dordulian to help ensure you recover all applicable financial compensation needed to make a full recovery. Don’t settle for an inexperienced or unproven firm that could put your truck accident claim in jeopardy and leave you with mounting medical bills. Choose the experts at DLG who have the experience and proven results you deserve, allowing you to focus on what’s most important – your physical recovery and overall well-being – while we handle the stressful details and fight to recover you a maximum financial damages award.

For a truck accident injury, the best call you can make is to the experienced lawyers at DLG.