Indiana’s central location in the U.S. means large trucks will frequently drive through the state to get from one place to the other. This, in addition to the trucks making deliveries in and to the state, can lead to many of these big and intimidating vehicles being on the road. Drivers of passenger vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians should be cognizant of trucks as a collision can cause serious injuries and fatalities. Recent statistics indicate that while there was a general improvement in road safety, truck accidents and wrongful death incidents have been on the rise.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there was a slight increase in truck fatalities from 2017 to 2018 with 46 more deaths. Large trucks accounted for 4,951 deaths in 2018. In 2017, there were 4,905 such deaths. While that is an increase of less than 1%, it is still problematic. 885 of those killed were in the trucks. The remainder were outside the trucks.
This increase in truck accidents occurs at the same time as a general decrease in overall fatalities. On U.S. highways, there were 36,560 deaths in 2018. This was a reduction of 2.4% from the prior year – a total of 913 fatalities. People were driving slightly more with a rise of 0.3% in miles traveled. There was a rise in fatalities of 2.3% in August. This was the highest increase during the year. Along with the statistics for 2018, preliminary estimates for 2019 were provided. It showed that the reduction in road deaths may be consistent. For the first half of the year, there had been a 3.4% decrease when compared to the same time-period of 2018.
Being involved in an accident with a large truck can have life-changing implications for the person and his or her family. Since these vehicles are so massive and travel long distances at a high rate of speed, there is a significant chance of severe injuries and death when involved in a collision. Many of these accidents are due to the trucker violating the rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, texting and driving, going beyond the limits on hours of service, experiencing driving fatigue, committing a DUI, speeding and more. After an accident, for assistance with a legal filing to cover for all that was lost, a law firm experienced in truck accidents might be able to help.