On the Interstate highway system of the US and rural areas, it is a pretty common thing to catch sight of semi-trucks and other large commercial vehicles. Around a few million trucks are being operated now in the US. They are in charge of distributing a variety of products throughout the country along with significantly contributing to the economy of the US.
Unfortunately, huge and heavy trucks that weigh around ten thousand pounds are often involved in traffic collisions and immense crashes, causing serious injuries and fatalities.
In the year 2017, an 8 percent increase in heavy truck crash fatalities was calculated as compared to the semi-truck collisions of 2016. Not only that, but a total of 13 percent increase with large trucks and buses was also calculated in all traffic fatalities on roadways in the US. A state called Indiana is considered to be one of the ten states ofUS with the highest average of fatal and deadly roadways causing large trucks and buses to crash.
Visit Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., to receive free consultation if you have been injured in a traffic collision involving a semi-truck.
In this article, we have discussed how common semi-truck collisions are. Furthermore, you’ll read the statistics of semi-truck accidents along with the common types of truck accidents.
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The Statistics of Some Semi-Truck Accidents In The US
As mentioned above, the year 2017 calculated an increase in the number of traffic collisions involving heavy trucks, most of which occurred in rural areas and interstate highways. As a result, the statistics concluded that sixty-one percent of fatal crashes took place in rural areas, whereas fifteen percent of the crashes took place in rural interstate highways. The other remaining twenty-seven percent of crashes occurred on the dangerous interstate highways, resulting in extreme harm and fatalities.
It is considered that there are numerous reasons why accidents happen, however the collision with another vehicle is one of the most common causes. The statistical result here states that seventy-three percent of fatal semi-truck crashes involved a collision with another vehicle. The crashes which involved a collision and only resulted in injury were eighty-three percent whereas an accident that involved collision and caused property damage only were seventy-five percent.
In addition, it was also calculated that regardless of how the accident or collision happened, almost 39% of large truck occupants were not wearing their seat belts and hence lost their lives.
Be it any state or country, the trucking industry is considered to be one of the most essential parts of their economy. The statistics of the year 2018, concluded by the American Trucking Association indicate that the industry shipped around 12 billion tons along with employing around 8 million people for work including almost 4 billion truck drivers.
This also means that the large and huge trucks including the semis, big rigs, tractor-trailers, and buses approximately make up to 13 percent of all motor vehicles on the roads. Unfortunately, this is why accidents and collisions take place.
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Different Types of Truck Accidents and Collisions
Below, we have mentioned the common types of large commercial truck collisions that often take place on roadways. Some of them include distracted driving, improper training of driving or road sense, equipment malfunctions, unsettled loading, etc.
Head-On and Rear-End Collisions
The head-on accidents are the ones where both the motor vehicles crash into each other face to face or head-on. Similarly, the rear end ones are the exact opposite of head-on collisions. This happens when the huge truck collides or drives over the back of another vehicle.
In addition, there is no doubt that both these collisions are extremely dangerous and incredibly fatal on roadways and highways that have immense speedy traffic. These types of collisions are especially dangerous for smaller vehicles as compared to larger trucks.
Jackknife Accidents
This is another type of incredibly harmful accident that happens when the trucks are suddenly broken and their trailers move out to another angle or direction. A truck that experiences a jackknife accident can easily roll-over or overturn onto other vehicles or stationary objects, causing huge and enormous roadway damage.
Blind Spot Accidents
Mainly, the blind spot accidents are the most common ones. As used in the traffic terminologies, every motor vehicle has a blind spot where they are unable to see in their mirrors whether another vehicle is near to them or not. The vehicles on road need to know how much distance to maintain once they are near the vehicle that is in front of them.
Smaller vehicles do not indulge in blind spot accidents, however, trucks have significant blind spots. Each vehicle around them needs to maintain a safe distance and be cautious whether they are visible in the truck driver’s mirrors or not.
Roll-Over Accidents
These accidents happen in two ways. Either a truck breaks down or a truck driver loses control where the tractor-trailer rolls over. This is indeed incredibly dangerous as the cargo of the truck can fall down causing danger to other motor vehicles on the roadway.
Underride Accidents
The underride accidents happen when the truck stops suddenly and the vehicles behind them get stuck underneath it or it’s tractor-trailer. This results in ripping off the top of the smaller vehicle. This becomes greatly dangerous if both vehicles are at speed.
It is considered that underride accidents could be prevented and can become less harmful through the use of side guards on trucks. The National Transportation Safety Board highly recommends this as a safety measure.
Tire Blowouts
The remains of tire blowouts are easily visible across major roadways throughout different states of the US. Sometimes, the shreds of the back rubber are seen in the middle of the lane. It is no big deal that the tires of vehicles can blowout, however, the tires of large commercial trucks are vulnerable to failure and can cause damage to other motorists on the roadway.
No matter what kind of accident you may be involved in hiring an attorney is undoubtedly the smartest thing to do!
