Over 14 million large trucks share the roads with much smaller passenger cars transporting people as they head to work and school, run errands, and travel.
At 20 to 30 times the weight of passenger vehicles, these trucks’ sheer weight and size significantly raise the potential for costly damage, serious injuries, and fatalities in collisions with smaller vehicles. In fact, 89% of deaths in large-truck collisions are the occupants of passenger vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, or others not in the large truck.
Despite some reduction in total collisions, recent truck accident statistics show that serious and fatal truck accidents are still far too common.
Overview of Truck Accident Statistics
Recent truck accident statistics reveal the prevalence and nature of collisions involving large trucks. Understanding semi-truck vs car statistics raises awareness about road safety, commercial truck accident risks, and victims’ rights.
National statistics on truck accidents
Commercial truck accident statistics reveal that there were 184,058 truck crashes in 2023.
A significantly larger number of accidents occurred on weekdays than on weekends. Over 27,000 crashes happened each weekday in 2023 compared to 13,212 on Saturdays and 9,434 on Sundays. There were slightly fewer accidents on Mondays (27,642) and Fridays (28,179) than on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (30,160 or more each) during 2023.
Trends over the years
The total number of vehicles involved in accidents involving fatalities or injuries rose drastically from 157,665 in 2020 to 184,466 in 2021 and 184,051 in 2022, likely due to less traffic on the roads during the pandemic of 2020. However, 2023 saw fewer vehicles involved in fatal or injurious accidents at 169,066.
Fatalities and Injuries in Truck Accidents
The number of fatalities caused by accidents involving a large truck rose from 4,987 in 2020 to 5,820 in 2021 to 5,967 in 2022. Following the pattern of decline in total crashes involving large trucks, the number of fatal truck crashes dropped to 4,987 in 2023. [https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/CrashStatistics?tab=Summary&type=&report_id=1&crash_type_id=4&datasource_id=1&time_period_id=2&report_date=0&vehicle_type=2&state=NAT&domicile=ALL&measure_id=1&operation_id=null] More than 700 of the drivers involved in fatal truck accidents in 2022 were not using seat belts.
Breakdown of fatalities by demographics
Examining fatal semi-truck vs car accident statistics by demographics can help us understand the people involved in these deadly collisions.
- The majority of large trucks involved in fatal accidents during 2022 were operated by drivers between 26 and 65 years of age, spread relatively evenly among those ages.
- In 2022, the 13.7% of truck drivers who are female represented 4.3% of fatal truck accidents.
- During 2023, Texas had 765 fatalities from accidents involving large trucks, the most of any state by far. California had 404 fatalities. Other states with more than 100 fatalities in 2023 include Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
- The majority of truck drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2022, more than 91%, held legal license status, meaning they had valid licenses for the types of trucks they were operating and their licenses had not expired or been canceled, revoked, denied, or disqualified.
Common injuries sustained in truck collisions
Truck accident statistics reveal that 71,479 injuries were sustained in collisions with commercial or large trucks in 2023, down slightly from 71,625 in 2022. Studies show that drivers of passenger vehicles are more likely to sustain severe head and neck injuries when involved in collisions with large trucks versus other passenger vehicles.
Common injuries from large-truck collisions include:
- Brain injuries, including concussions
- Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
- Fractured bones, frequently to ribs or limbs
- Back and neck injuries, including whiplash and ruptured discs
- Internal bleeding and other internal injuries
- Burns, bruising, and lacerations
Physical injuries are not the only way truck accidents can impact the health of those involved in truck collisions. Victims of truck accidents may experience mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mood-altering disorders.
Economic Impact of Truck Accidents
Factoring in the cost of lives lost along with medical expenses, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates a total motor vehicle accident cost of over $470 billion in 2022. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that large truck and bus accidents had an overall cost of $128 billion in 2021, up from $110 billion in 2020.
But those are the costs to society as a whole. The costs incurred by individual truck accident victims add up, creating a significant financial impact on the family. Expenses include medical bills, lost income, property damage, legal and court costs, and emergency service costs. According to a 2020 CDC study, the average cost of medical care is $45,678 for a hospitalized patient with fatal injuries and $52,246 for nonfatal injuries.
An experienced truck accident attorney can help truck accident victims seek compensation for their expenses and pain and suffering.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Just like all traffic accidents, truck accidents can be caused by multiple factors, including overtired or distracted drivers, icy roads, or poorly maintained vehicles. But when trucks are involved, the impact of these factors can do much more damage. Additional issues, like frequent long hours behind the wheel, also factor into truck accident causation. The major causes of commercial truck accidents include driver, vehicle, and environmental factors.
Driver-related factors
FMSCA categorizes driver errors into four types:
- Decision: Behaviors like speeding or not adjusting speed when needed and aggressive driving, including tailgating, are considered mistakes the driver makes by choice.
- Recognition: Failure to respond to signs, traffic signals, other drivers, and other factors tends to occur when the driver is distracted or overtired.
- Nonperformance: The driver was physically incapacitated for some reason, like a medical condition or falling asleep.
- Performance: The driver caused an accident by not responding appropriately to conditions by overcorrecting, not using the brake or gas as needed, or not reacting quickly.
Driver behaviors that cause accidents include:
- Speeding: In 2022, more than 70% of the fatal accidents involving large trucks occurred at speeds of over 55 miles per hour.
- Fatigue: The Illinois Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that operators are more than two times as likely to get in an accident if they have been driving for more than eight hours, yet FMCSA regulations allow drivers to operate their trucks for 11 hours.
- Inattention: Phone use, eating or drinking, adjusting climate controls, and other driver inattention is associated with 4–5% of fatal crashes. [https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2023-11/21P31.xlsx]
- Impairment: Drivers impaired by alcohol or other substances are responsible for about 4–5% of fatal crashes.
Vehicle-related factors
Proper vehicle maintenance helps to prevent accidents and reduce damage caused by accidents for any kind of vehicle. Strict adherence to maintenance requirements is especially important for commercial vehicles and large trucks. These vehicles endure greater wear than most passenger vehicles because of the miles driven and heavy cargo carried. A 2022 FMCSA inspection report recorded significant maintenance violations commonly associated with accidents:
- Over 670,000 lighting violations including inoperative, defective, or missing lamps, signals, or other devices or reflective materials
- Over 340,000 brake violations including issues with brakes being out of adjustment, outdated braking systems, chafed or kinked brake hose or tubing, inoperative or defective brakes, and brake lamp issues
- Over 180,000 tire violations including flat tires, leaking tires, and shallow thread depth
- Over 180,000 vehicles operating without proof of inspection [https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2024-04/FMCSA%20Pocket%20Guide%202023-FINAL%20508%20-%20April%202024.pdf]
Cargo loading can also cause accidents with large trucks. If the cargo is not properly balanced or the truck is overloaded, it can cause the cargo to shift during transport. Cargo can:
- Cause a truck to roll over
- Put too much strain on the truck’s brakes, causing the truck to jackknife or rear-end another vehicle
- Fall off a truck into the path of other vehicles
- Impact visibility for truck drivers or other drivers on the roadway
- Create hazardous conditions if it includes dangerous or flammable materials
Environmental factors
Truck accident statistics help drivers and accident victims understand the impact of environmental factors on driver safety.
- 25% of truck crash fatalities occurred in dark light conditions with no roadway lighting.
- Almost twice as many fatal accidents involving trucks occurred on two-lane roadways compared to roadways with more than two lanes.
- More than 70% of fatal accidents involving trucks occurred in clear weather conditions, but 15% of fatalities happened on wet, icy, or snowy roads.
Steps to Take Following a Truck Accident
If you are in a motor vehicle accident of any kind, always address your medical needs first. Many injuries, especially those associated with truck accidents, may not be apparent right away. Often shock can mask symptoms. Seek medical attention immediately to ensure that your health is evaluated by a medical professional.
Once urgent medical issues are addressed, there are other important steps you need to take to protect your legal rights and avoid the risk associated with liability. Even if it is determined that you have some fault in an accident, fault may be shared with the truck driver or other parties, like truck maintenance staff or cargo loaders. Consult with an attorney as soon as possible following an accident to make sure you cover all your bases.
Immediate actions for drivers
Drivers involved in accidents with large trucks should address medical and reporting issues first and be cautious about conversations around fault.
- As noted, address medical needs first and foremost. Call 911 if injuries are urgent. If they are not, visit the hospital emergency room or your medical provider as soon as possible.
- Do not address fault with others involved in the accident. Stick to the facts and allow legal professionals to ascertain fault.
- Contact the authorities and adhere to local legal requirements regarding accident reporting. You may be asked to leave your car as is so the authorities can examine the accident scene. Or the police may ask that you meet them at an accident investigation site or a local law enforcement location.
Documenting the scene
Police will document the scene for their reports, but there are also steps you can take to supplement documentation and help your attorneys build a case. However, if road conditions are unsafe or you are not medically in good enough condition to manage these steps, it is important to put your health and safety first.
- Gather contact information for all other drivers, including name, phone number, and insurance details.
- Ask witnesses to share their names and contact information.
- If it is safe to do so, take photos of the scene. Include photos of all involved vehicles and their license plates. Photograph the surrounding areas, traffic signage, tire tracks, and tread marks.
Additional investigation
Some steps of the investigation will not occur on the day of the accident or at the scene of the accident. Many of these steps may be managed by insurance representatives, law enforcement, or legal representation.
- An attorney can help you obtain electronic logging device (ELD) data. All commercial vehicles are required by the FMSCA to maintain ELDs to monitor truck performance and log driver hours.
- Ask involved law enforcement for a copy of the accident report. You may have to visit the police station nearest the scene of the accident to pick it up.
- Legal representation may also request cell phone records, maintenance records, dashcams, witness statements, and other evidence of causation.
A personal injury attorney with truck accident experience can determine causation and help you with suing the trucking company if their driver caused an accident. A truck accident lawyer can manage investigations, file claims, and negotiate with insurance companies and other parties. They will work toward getting compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other accident-related costs.
Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers are experienced with determining who’s at fault in a commercial vehicle accident and proving liability. Our attorneys craft strong claims and seek the maximum available compensation through negotiations and in court. We are available to guide you through the entire process. Contact our experienced truck accident attorneys today to begin discussing your case.
