14 Important Truck Accident Fast Facts You Want to Know | DENENA | POINTS
CALL
TEXT

14 Important Truck Accident Fast Facts You Want to Know

Cement_truck_crash

With the increasing congestion on our Texas and Houston area roadways as truck and passenger vehicle traffic continues to grow along with the economy, serious crashes with heavy commercial trucks are a daily occurrence. Click the link to read about a recent deadly truck accident in Texas. Our Houston truck accident attorneys provide these 14 important truck accident fast facts you want to know to help increase your safety and alertness to danger on the road.

  1. According to the U.S. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) 12% of all 2011 fatal traffic crashes involved heavy commercial trucks. Specifically, tractor-trailer trucks and similar vehicles accounted for 3,757 deaths on U.S. roads that year. The NHTSA classifies heavy trucks as those that weigh (unloaded) more than 10,000 pounds. Our Houston truck accident attorneys note that when loaded, these heavy commercial trucks might weigh 80,000 pounds or more.
  1. The average annual number of tractor-trailer trucks involved in fatal U.S. traffic accidents has decreased to about 3,500 from an average of more than 5,000 in the years from 2004 to 2008. But Texas still holds the top spot for the number of fatal heavy truck accidents (and most other types of fatal accidents too), followed by Florida and California. Heavy commercial truck traffic is increasing in Texas due to the boom in fracking extraction of oil and gas and to Houston’s place as the number one port for U.S. import/export traffic.
  1. Tractor-trailer trucks pulling one semi trailer are the most common type of heavy truck to be involved in fatal traffic accidents, accounting for around 60% of all fatal crashes with heavy commercial trucks.
  1. The Houston truck accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC report that about 80% of fatal truck accidents happen on the highways. 67% occur in daylight in rural areas. Almost 85% happen in “normal” weather conditions. And over 80% happen on dry roads. This indicates that most accidents probably tend to happen when drivers are feeling confident of their surroundings and might be speeding or paying less active attention to the roadway.
  1. Under federal regulations, 40 tons or 80,000 pounds is the maximum allowable weight for a loaded heavy truck. But we mention that a certain percentage of truckers and trucking companies overload their trucks to gain the maximum profit from a single delivery. Overloading a truck is not uncommon as truckers try to move more goods with fewer tips and make more money. But the heavier the load, the longer it takes a truck to stop or change direction, and the greater your danger from a crash.
  1. In heavy commercial truck crashes, occupants of the vehicles hit by the trucks account for 72% of the fatalities. The truck occupants themselves, which may include passengers and relief drivers in the sleep compartments, account for only 17% of the deaths. And our Houston truck accident attorneys point out that 11% of the fatalities are pedestrians and bicyclists not occupying any enclosed vehicle.
  1. Tractor-trailer trucks only accounted for 8% of the vehicles involved in fatal traffic crashes. But due to their disproportionate size and weight in relation to other vehicles, they accounted for 12% of the traffic deaths in 2011.
  1. Only 3% of the accidents involving 18-wheelers and similar trucks just damaged property or caused injury. Due to the trucks’ size and weight, our Houston truck accident attorneys emphasize that fatalities tend to result.
  1. More than 70% of fatal truck accidents in 2011 occurred when a truck collided with another motor vehicle in transport.
  1. Between 10% and 15% of fatal tanker truck wrecks involve a rollover accident.
  1. “Straight” trucks (tractor power units with a permanently attached cargo bodies; “straight truck” does not refer to the truck’s orientation for truck socializing purposes) account for a little over 34% of fatal heavy truck accidents. The Houston truck accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC note that dump trucks are classified as “straight” trucks. We also note that almost 45% of straight-truck drivers are paid by the hour rather than the mile.
  1. More than 60% of fatal straight truck accidents were “local” where the truck was within 50 miles of its base. A very large proportion of these were dump truck and garbage truck accidents occurring in urban neighborhoods.
  1. About 72% of fatal heavy truck accidents involve Class 8 vehicles weighing at least 33,000 pounds (this includes heavily loaded dump trucks). Our Houston truck accident attorneys mention that almost 95% of tractor-trailer truck fatal crashes were 18-wheelers weighting 33,000 pounds or more loaded.
  1. In most fatal heavy commercial truck wrecks, alcohol and drug use by the truck drivers are not contributing factors. Failure to stay in the lane (which could be related to driver fatigue or distraction, or unsafe lane changing) accounts for almost 11% of these wrecks. Inattentive or distracted driving was the next most common factor at slightly over 6%. Driving too fast, failure to yield, and cell phone use were other commonly cited causes of fatal truck wrecks.

(Sources: Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) file from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute: Trucks involved in Fatal Accidents Factbook 2008, published by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics in March 2011)

Learn the Critical Steps to Take after a Heavy Truck Crash has Harmed You or Your Loved Ones

Click on this web page to download your FREE guide to protecting your rights and building a successful personal injury or wrongful death claim. And don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Houston truck accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC for a FREE initial legal consultation if you have questions or need help after your own truck crash injury. Reach us anytime through ouronline contact form or just give us a call at 713-807-9500.