As Connecticut residents may know, large trucks, defined as vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds, are involved in numerous accidents. In Connecticut, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the total number of fatal truck crashes in 2012 was 336.
Trucks account for four out of every 100 registered vehicles and are involved in eight of every 100 fatal accidents. In 2012, more truckers and occupants of other vehicles were killed and injured in crashes involving trucks than 2011. The total number of pedestrians injured increased, while the number killed in truck-related accidents decreased. Statistics comparing both the number of registered trucks and the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents between 2003 and 2012 reveal that the number of large trucks that were registered increased by roughly three million. The number of trucks involved in fatal accidents decreased.
The NHTSA also compared the characteristics of the accidents. The agency’s analysis showed that trucks are more often involved in multiple-vehicle accidents by 23 percent. Nearly half of the accidents occurred when both trucks and other vehicles were traveling on a straight stretch while one vehicle was traveling on a curve in the road in 12 percent of the accidents, and 9 percent happened when either the truck or the passenger vehicle was turning. Almost a third were front-end collisions while trucks were more often rear-ended than passenger vehicles.
Truck accidents have a greater potential for harm due to a truck’s weight and momentum, and truckers who exceed the speed limit or disobey traffic rules may cause injury or death to other motorists. Negligent truck drivers and their employers, in some cases, may be held accountable for the financial distress the victims or their families suffer. An attorney may help by assessing the evidence and filing a lawsuit for damages.
Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, “Traffic Safety Facts – Large Trucks“, December 22, 2014
