Oklahoma motorists must regularly share the roads with huge trucks. Recent data has shown that although road accidents have increased, deaths stemming from truck accidents have decreased.
Crash data shows decrease in truck accident deaths
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), truck accident fatalities declined slightly by 1.3% in 2020 compared to 2019. At the same time, there was still an increase in deaths stemming from traffic accidents. That increase was 6.8% for other vehicles.
Slightly fewer than 5,000 people were killed in accidents involving big rigs in 2020. There were also fewer deaths among people riding in trucks that year compared with 2019.
Causes of these fatal traffic accidents
According to the NHTSA, over 90% of serious traffic accidents are caused by driver error. It also reported that in as many as 45% of accidents that end up with fatalities, the driver was performing some type of risky behavior such as driving under the influence, not wearing a seatbelt or speeding.
Rate of fatalities from traffic accidents
The data from the NHTSA showed that in 2020, there were close to 39,000 deaths from traffic accidents, which was the highest number since 2007. This increase occurred even though there was an 11% decrease in vehicles traveling on the roads. There was also a 17% decrease in personal injuries from car accidents in 2020.
Many trucking accidents involved only a single truck. In 2020, there was a 4.1% increase in these accidents resulting in injuries compared to 2019.
Data shows that driving a truck is one of the most dangerous jobs and that around 766 truckers die each year. It shows that more safety precautions should be implemented.