Crash Stats for Large Truck and Trailer Rigs on the Rise

In the News,Personal Injury,Truck Accident,Wrongful Death - March 28, 2024 by Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates

Very few accidents involving large trucks and/or tractor-trailer rigs are described as ‘fender-benders’.  With an average of 10,000 – 80,000 pounds of flexing roadway muscle in motion, serious injury is almost always a given, and sadly, fatalities are all-too-often the result.

For three generations, the Illinois Injury Lawyers at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates have successfully represented those impacted by serious injury or death resulting from an accident involving large trucks and tractor rigs.
Their successful trial record over the decades is a result of skillful knowledge as trucking regulations and commercial rigs have evolved, the firm’s ability to secure top knowledge experts during the trial, and mastering the necessary investigative actions that determine fault.

Serious Injury and Deaths Continue to Rise

After a 2009 high of 286,000 crashes involving large trucks (defined as trucks with a gross weight >10,000 lbs) both 2010 and 2011 saw significantly lower numbers, 266,000 and 273,000 respectfully.
So much for the good news, which ends there.
In their ‘Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics’ (updated Oct. 2014), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports a disturbing increase in 2012 that wiped out the total two-year gain in safety within 12 short months resulting in 317,000 total crashes.

Total Crashes by Large Trucks

Total Fatal Crashes by Large Trucks

While the ‘Pocketbook” offered no information as to the causes of accidents or fatalities themselves, driver fatigue and exceeding legal Hours of Service (HOS) has long been suspected as a key factor in both crashes and fatalities involving large trucks.

Hours of Service (Operation/Driving) Connection to Crashes

In April 2014, the US Dept of Transportation released a study comparing the safety record of large trucks equipped with electronic HOS monitoring systems vs. those without – those in which drivers manually enter mandatory HOS information into a log.
The results were predictable. Trucks equipped with electronic HOS recorders showed:

• 12% Lower Crash Rates
• 5% Lower ‘Preventable’ Crash Rates
• 53% Lower Driving-Related HOS Violations
• 49% Non-Driving Related (incomplete or errors in manual logs) HOS Violations

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury due to an accident involving a large truck or trailer rig, don’t delay. Contact our Chicago truck collision attorneys immediately for a free consultation and investigation at (800)-985-1819.