If you drive a lot you might feel like you’re constantly sitting in traffic due to accidents on the road.
It also feels like a lot of these occurrences involve trucks and that it’s becoming a sight that’s all too common.
While it might feel that way, how common are truck accidents in the US and is it a problem that’s getting worse?
2020 statistics of accidents involving trucks
In 2020, 4998 large trucks were involved in fatal accidents. This number was a decrease of 5% from the year before, but it’s still an increase of 33% since 2011. This accounted for 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes.
Since 2019, the number of fatal accidents involving trucks has decreased by 3%. The number of injuries in large truck crashes also decreased by 8% in 2020 to 147,000, but most of the injuries sustained were by travelers in other vehicles (68%).
These figures indicate that there has been a slight decrease in the number of accidents involving trucks over the last few years.
That being said, the number is still too high. This is especially the case where the accident was something caused by a reckless act of a truck driver and could have been prevented simply by driving more considerately.
Being involved in a collision with a commercial vehicle, such as a truck, can be really frightening. It has the potential to cause a lot of damage to your vehicle as well as put you at risk of injury.
If you find yourself in a collision where the truck was at fault, you’re entitled to seek compensation for the damages and losses you’ve suffered as a result.