Truck crashes are increasingly common, with numbers of both injuries and fatalities creeping up in the past few years. A few truck accident facts: In 2019, 118,000 large trucks were involved in injury crashes; this is a 5% increase from 2018. A total of 5,005 people died in large-truck crashes in 2019. The number of deaths has increased 36% since 2010 (3,686 deaths). The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles (71%), followed by truck occupants (18%), and non-occupants, primarily pedestrians and bicyclists (11%).
These truck accident statistics underlie a few common themes among trucking accidents — and few passenger vehicle occupants know the time of day, day of the week or roadway trends most often leading to crashes. This information provides food for thought when venturing out in your vehicle during the week. The most common truck accident times offer a window into systemic problems within the trucking industry.
TRUCK ACCIDENT FACT: Crashes are most common between 12-3 PM
A majority of trucking accidents (63%) occur between 6 AM and 6 PM. Broken down further, the highest percentage of truck-related fatalities (19%) occurs between noon and 3 PM daily. Between 2014 to 2017, nearly 700 crashes annually have been reported during this timeframe. Experts believe this is because of the number of other motor vehicles on the road, but also because this is frequently the end of drivers’ shifts, when many large truck drivers are eager to get home, or exhausted by a long haul drive ending. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends extra vigilance during these hours.
Why is the afternoon such a dangerous time to share the road with trucks? Big rigs may be more inclined to speed during midday than during high-traffic times, when congestion prohibits speed. Speeding has become a growing problem, as truck carriers require that their drivers meet tight deadlines. To make matters worse, carriers are slow to reprimand their trucking fleet for speeding infractions; in fact, 20% of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes had at least one prior speeding conviction.
Another possible reason for this spike in semi trucks’ crash rates: this is typically the hottest time of day, and hot weather can cause malfunctions on some truck components, including brakes and tires that are poorly maintained. In high-temperature conditions, brake efficiency may lessen; this is due to the components heating to a point where supplementary heat can no longer be assimilated, which leads to a loss of friction. Similarly, tires could wear out quicker in high-heat conditions, and truckers face more flat tires and blowouts.
TRUCK ACCIDENT FACT: Most crashes happen on Thursdays
Most truck casualties take place during the work week. This is the time when freight haul is higher than usual, and there are more trucks on the road; truckers are less likely to fill the highways on the weekends, when many businesses are closed or operating on limited hours. While all weekdays show higher incident rates — roughly 8 out of 10 truck accidents happen on weekdays — Thursday is the most common day for truck accidents to occur.
Why Thursday? Experts have several theories. By this time in the week, due to fatigue from many hours behind the wheel, truck drivers may be less alert to shifts in traffic conditions. Also, truck drivers may be putting in extra miles to get home for the weekend, or to round out their mileage quota for the week. Some may hope to beat the weekend traffic by starting their long haul journeys earlier on Thursday; this can also lead to exhaustion by midday.
Fatigue may be increasing in the United States in general, as truck carriers have begun demanding more of their employees. In 2020, federal regulators loosened restrictions on drivers’ hours of service (HoS) caps to accommodate challenges brought about through the pandemic a move that the truckers’ union itself considered dangerous. Teamsters General President, Jim Hoffa, did not mince words: ”In an effort to increase so-called ‘flexibility’ for trucking companies, the FMCSA is abandoning safety and allowing drivers to push themselves to the limit even further,” he said. “Trucking is already one of the nation’s most dangerous jobs. We shouldn’t be sacrificing the health and safety of drivers just to pad the profits of their big business bosses.”
TRUCK ACCIDENT FACT: Winter is naturally the most dangerous season
For most of us, driving in winter conditions is simply unavoidable; nearly 70% of the country’s roads are in regions that experience winter, and nearly 70% of the population live in these regions, according to the U.S. Department of Federal Highway Administration. Driving in the winter can prove challenging, due in part to low temperatures and slick icy roads that can affect driving performance.
Under the employee protection provision of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, a trucker can refuse to drive in dangerous weather-related conditions, but few actually do so for fear of recrimination from their company. There have been many instances of illegal discipline or even firing of truckers for their refusal to work in harsh conditions (i.e. Eash v. Roadway Express, Inc. (2001) or Robinson v. Duff Truck Line, Inc. (1993), with the truck carriers typically only getting mild reprimand within the legal system. The profitable business of truck transport won’t stop, and many truck carriers expect their drivers to meet tight schedules, even when faced with inclement weather or hazardous driving conditions.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, collects data from official sources and publishes the annual Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts report. This report shows year-by-year comparisons of crash records and classifies the number of truck accidents according to the following road surface conditions: Dry, Wet, Snow, Ice/Frost, Slush, Water (standing, moving), Mud, Dirt and Gravel, and Sand. Except for two, all of these road conditions can emerge during winter. The result of these winter surface conditions: tractor trailers can hydroplane, skid, hit snow banks or get involved in passenger vehicle accidents or property damage incidents.
TRUCK ACCIDENT FACT: Most collisions happen on major roads
A little over half of all truck-related accidents occurred on major roads, typically defined as a road that is commonly used and that goes through the main part of a city, town, etc. According to a 2017 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, major roads were the location for up to 51% of all large truck-related accidents. Interstates and freeways combined for 34% of accidents, while just 15% of truck crashes occurred on minor roads.
Source: IIHS/HLDI Large Truck Study
Let these truck accident facts guide your drive
Before you find yourself involved in car accidents or injury crashes involving large trucks, keep these facts in mind, and share this page with anyone else who frequently shares the road with large trucks and big rigs. Check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for updated information. We, too, are safety advocates for the trucking industry, working to make roads safer and holding trucking companies accountable for crashes resulting in injury. If you have more questions about the Law Offices of Peter M. Anderson or Colorado Truck Accidents, please don’t hesitate to contact us today via e-mail or call us at 303-444-1505.