Trucking Accident Statistics for 2023

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2023 Big Rig and Semi-Trailer Truck Accident Statistics

Nov 11, 2023

Large trucks, which are commonly referred to as big rigs, 18-wheelers, or semi-trailers, are essential to the U.S. economy. These large trucks are used to transport goods and materials over long distances as part of the overall supply chain network. But semi-trucks can also pose a risk of serious collision due to their size, as well as the long hours and driving distances required for truckers.

Trucking Accident Statistics for 2023

Below, Dordulian Law Group’s Glendale, California, truck accident attorneys have put together some of the most updated trucking accident statistics for 2023.

2023 Trucking Accident Statistics for the United States

2023 Trucking Accident Statistics for the United States
The statistics below have been compiled through data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and additional government agencies which track commercial truck accident records and work to determine the extent of the risks trucks pose to passenger cars, motorcycles, and other smaller motor vehicles sharing the roadways.

  • In 2021, over half-a-million large truck accidents were recorded across the U.S.
  • In 2021, 523,796 large truck accidents occurred across the United States.
  • In 2020, there were 415,444 trucking accident incidents.
  • Most large truck accidents do not result in fatalities or even in injuries.
  • A total of 310,000 of the collisions in 2020 involved only property damage.
  • However, 101,000 truck crashes caused injury over the course of that year.
  • 4,444 truck accidents caused fatalities in 2020.
  • Large truck and 18-wheeler accidents increased by 26% From 2020 to 2021.
  • 523,796 incidents involving large trucks occurred in 2021 (a dramatic increase from 2020 when just 415,444 truck-related incidents occurred).
  • Semi-trailer trucks are the large commercial vehicles most likely to be involved in fatal accidents with cars and other small motor vehicles.
  • Semi-trailers are more likely to become involved in deadly accidents than other types of large trucks.
  • A semi-trailer is a type of truck and trailer combination without a front axle.
  • Semi-trailers accounted for 53% of all fatal collisions involving large trucks according to semi-truck accident statistics provided by the FMCSA.
  • Fatal Truck Accidents Are Most Likely to Occur in Rural Areas

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident that was due to negligence, you may be eligible to recover financial compensation through a civil lawsuit with Dordulian Law Group’s personal injury attorneys.

Who is Liable for a Large Truck or 18-Wheeler Accident?

Defendants in trucking accident cases may include:

  • Truck drivers
  • Companies that employ truck drivers
  • Truck manufacturing companies

Determining who may be at fault after a truck accident injury is something you will want to discuss with an experienced attorney.

What are Some Common Truck Accident Injuries?

What are Some Common Truck Accident Injuries?

Common semi-truck and big rig 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)

Unless a tragic death occurs, 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 was caused due to another truck driver’s negligence or carelessness, a wrongful death lawsuit may be filed to recover various types of financial damages.

Why Do Truck Accidents Happen?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) collected hundreds of factors associated with each vehicle involved in a trucking accident. The organization discovered that the top 10 factors for accidents involving large trucks and drivers were:

  1. Brake problems
  2. Traffic flow disruption (congestion and previous crash)
  3. Prescription drug use
  4. When you travel too fast, it can be dangerous
  5. Unfamiliarity of roadway
  6. Roadway problems
  7. Stop before a crash is required (traffic control devices, crosswalks)
  8. Over-the-counter drug use
  9. Inadequate surveillance
  10. Fatigue

The FMCSA has identified 10 additional factors that are associated with large truck-on-passenger vehicle crashes (listed in order of frequency):

  1. Traffic flow disruption
  2. Unfamiliarity of roadway
  3. Inadequate surveillance
  4. Driving too fast in the conditions
  5. Illegal maneuver
  6. Attention
  7. Fatigue
  8. Illness
  9. False assumptions about other road users’ actions
  10. Distraction caused by an object or person in the vehicle

Additionally, FMCSA found that alcohol and illegal drugs use in passenger vehicles, but not trucks, have a statistically significant correlation with the coding of critical reasons. The combination of these factors with fatigue (coded more than twice as often in passenger vehicles as large trucks) or illness (coded more than five times as often in passenger vehicles) shows that drivers of passenger vehicles were more likely to be experiencing adverse physical conditions before the crash.

Free Glendale, California, Truck Accident Injury Lawyer Consultation

After being 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 – Dordulian Law Group – 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.

Our experienced attorneys can help you pursue a financial award for your personal injury case. Contact us online or by phone for a free consultation today.

Contact us today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM for a free and confidential truck accident attorney consultation. There’s never any fee for our expert legal services until AFTER we secure maximum financial compensation for your claim. You don’t pay a penny until we win for you – it’s that simple.

English version Estadísticas de accidentes de camiones para 2023

Author

Samuel Dordulian

Samuel Dordulian, founder

Sam Dordulian is an award-winning sexual abuse lawyer with over 25 years' experience helping survivors secure justice. As a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for L.A. County, he secured life sentences against countless sexual predators. Mr. Dordulian currently serves on the National Leadership Council for RAINN.




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