On a daily basis, it’s estimated there are over 15.5 million trucks on the highways and byways of America. And while big-rigs only account for 2.4% of traffic accidents, they also present greater danger to other vehicles on the road due to their large size and weight…the average big rig can weigh 80,000 pounds and be 75 feet long.
In fact, big rig trucks are 3 times less likely to be involved in a collision on the highway than passenger vehicles. But since they’re so big, they do pose more danger to other drivers.
Last year, over 5000 people in the U.S. died due to a collision with a large truck, up from 3200 in ’09 according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety…over 100,000 sustained some sort of injury from a trucking accident last year.
These numbers are only expected to get worse since according to trucking industry figures over 20% more big rigs and commercial vehicles will hit the road in 2012.
The truck drivers though cannot be blamed for all of these accidents. In fact, over 80% of accidents involving big rigs were the fault of the other driver. But for accidents where the trucker was at fault, the leading causes include:
- Driver fatigue
- Texting while driving
- DUI
- Inexperienced drivers
- Maintenance and negligence
- Malfunctioning equipment
The states with the most fatalities are coincidentally the states with the most traffic on its highways. New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas lead the nation in accidents and fatalities involving large vehicles.
But considering so many highways in Tennessee are windy and hilly, there’s additional risk of trucking accidents drivers need to consider.
Even though trucking accidents involve just a small portion of accidents on the roadways, they can too often prove fatal or otherwise devastating.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a large truck in Tennessee and it was their fault, you need to be sure you obtain the compensation you need to be made whole again. To learn more, contact truck accident attorneys in Tennessee at Gilreath & Associates today.
