National Truck Accident Fatalities Rise for Third Year in a Row

It appears that trucking companies and their drivers are continuing to blatantly disregard safety regulations and protocols in order to turn a larger profits. In November, the National Transportation and Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA) released its analysis of nationwide crash statistics and revealed that fatalities due to large trucks, including commercial tractor-trailers, has increased for the third year in a row.

According to the NTHSA's 2012 Motor Vehicle Crashes report, which looks at national crash statistics for 2012, the number of people killed in accidents involving large trucks increased 3.7% over 2011. This is the third year of increasing truck accident deaths since a low of 3,380 truck accident deaths in 2009. Totals for years 2009 through 2012, as reported by the NHTSA are as follows:

2009 3,380
2010 3,686 9% increase
2011 3,781 2.6% increase
2012 3,921 3.7% increase

Deaths among occupants of vehicles other than large trucks who died in truck accidents increased at an even higher rate: 4.8% (2,843 in 2012 compared to 2,713 in 2011). But occupants of passenger vehicles and other non-truck vehicles weren't the only ones to suffer. The largest proportional increase in truck accident deaths occurred among occupants of the trucks involved. In multi-vehicle truck accidents across the nation, deaths of truck occupants rose a staggering 18% in 2012. That means trucking companies aren't even taking steps to preserve the lives of their own truckers.

However, the number of large truck occupants who died in truck accidents pales in comparison to the number of people driving cars, other non-truck vehicles, or no vehicle at all (pedestrians) who also died in these accidents. In 2012, 697 truck occupants died while 3,224 other people died in truck accidents.

What Does the Increase in Truck Accident Deaths Mean?

What the figures suggest to us is that truckers and trucking companies have been lax on obeying/enforcing trucking regulations and are willing to endanger the lives of thousands of people in order to deliver more cargo and turn higher profits. It may be that the recovery of the nation's economy over the last several years has put higher demand on the trucking industry to deliver goods. But that doesn't excuse truckers’ and trucking companies’ failure to drive safely and ensure that only safe trucks and drivers are on the road.

To stop this climbing trend of deaths, several actions must occur, including the following:

1. Tougher enforcement of existing laws and regulations concerning the trucking industry
2. Stiffer penalties for truckers and trucking companies in violation of federal and state safety regulations and laws
3. Continued pressure from families victimized by these deaths to hold truckers and trucking companies accountable for their actions through personal injury lawsuits.

Not only are trucking companies known for disregarding regulatory requirements, but they are also known for mounting tough defenses against truck accident victims seeking compensation for damages. Sometimes they even resort to underhanded tricks, such as altering evidence or hiding information, in order to avoid paying damages to victims and their families.

At Sachs Waldman, we take a tough stance against negligent truckers and the companies that hire them. Our Detroit truck accident lawyers have extensive experience combating the defense tactics of trucking companies and fighting for the rights of truck accident victims and their families.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial truck, call our Detroit personal injury law office and schedule a free initial consultation: 1-800-638-6722.