BACK TO BLOG June 3, 2017

Federal Report Shows Fatal 18 Wheeler Accidents On The Rise

A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation showed that the number of fatal 18 wheeler accidents has increased since 2009. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that the number of fatal accidents involving large trucks or buses increased by 8 percent from 2014 to 2015, and by 20 percent from 2009 to 2015. In 2015 alone, according to the report, more than 4,000 large trucks or buses were involved in fatal collisions, with nearly 70 percent of the fatalities involving drivers or passengers in standard passenger vehicles.

Details of the Fatal 18 Wheeler Accident Report

The annual report, titled “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts”, includes dozens of tables and hundreds of statistics on fatal 18 wheeler accidents, as well as those involving serious injuries and property damage. The data on fatal 18 wheeler accidents came from statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The FARS report categorizes a “large truck” as a truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of at least 10,000 pounds.

Fatal 18 Wheeler Accidents Jump In One Year

The report shows a number of startling trends regarding the frequency of fatal 18 wheeler accidents across the country. The data shows that, in 2015, a total of 4,311 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal accidents, an increase of eight percent over the previous year. The rate of involvement of large trucks in fatal crashes also increased by eight percent, from 1.34 to 1.45 per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks. The number of people who have lost their lives in 18 wheeler accidents also increased that year, from 3,908 in 2014 to 4,067 in 2015, an increase of four percent.

Trends in Fatal 18 Wheeler Accidents Since 2009

The 2015 total also represents a 26 percent increase in fatal 18 wheeler accidents from 2009, when a record-low 3,432 large vehicles were involved in fatal crashes. The number of fatalities in these accidents has also risen in those years, from 3,380 in 2009 to 4,067 in 2015, an increase of more than 20 percent. Large trucks have also been involved in fatal accidents at a much higher rate since 2009, from 1.17 to 1.45 per 100 million miles traveled, an increase of nearly 24 percent. A surprising aspect of these statistics comes from the fact that the total number of miles traveled by these large trucks actually decreased over this same time span by three percent. This means that the increase in fatal accidents does not necessarily correlate with an increase in truck miles traveled.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation

Know Your Rights in a Fatal 18 Wheeler Accident Lawsuit

To find out how we can help you with a lawsuit involving a fatal Texas 18 wheeler accident, contact the Flowers Law Firm today at 903-965-2000. Our friendly staff will ask a few questions about your case and connect you to an attorney who can help with your family’s fatal 18 wheeler accident lawsuit.

NOTE: This blog post is a news story and does not constitute and endorsement of the Flowers Law Firm by any parties mentioned herein.