Where Do Most Truck Accidents Occur?

Even though they don’t happen as often as car crashes, truck accidents always make the news.

That’s especially true if the collisions trigger traffic jams and fiery explosions. Any time you get behind the wheel of your car, you need to be on alert for the potential for a wreck. When you approach a truck, you have to be extra diligent.

It will help to know when, why, and where most truck accidents occur.

Types of Roadways Where Tractor-Trailer Crashes Happen

A good day for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a day without any major traffic accident. That means their message of promoting safety is helping.

The IIHS collects data about all types of wrecks, and you might be surprised by what they have found about where truck crashes happen. The types of roadways where truck crashes occur are as follows:

  • Interstates and freeways: 35%
  • Other major roads: 49%
  • Minor roads: 16%

As for those other major roadways referenced above, information collected by the Federal Highway Administration finds that is where over half of all vehicle accidents occur. That means that despite the sensational news items about crashes occurring on interstates, most truck collisions don’t occur there, but instead on state and federal highways or routes.

Why Trucking Collisions Occur on Highways the Most

There are a few reasons why truck-involved crashes occur on major roadways more often than surface streets and interstates, including:

  • Interstates and freeways are divided into two directions, reducing the opportunity for head-on truck collisions.
  • There are no stoplights or intersections along highways, meaning there’s very little infrastructure in place to slow traffic to minimize the chances of speed-related crashes occurring.
  • With all the turns, approaching traffic, signs, and stop lights on city or surface roads and streets, drivers have to make a lot of quick decisions. The same holds for truck drivers; however, they also require more braking and turning space on those roads, which puts them at a higher risk of getting into an accident.

Are Truck Wrecks More Common in Rural or Urban Areas?

The National Safety Council (NSC) also collects crash data and finds that 53% of truck crashes that involve fatalities occur in rural areas as opposed to 46% in urban areas.

States With the Most 18-Wheeler Collisions

NSC data also reveals that, in 2022, the following states had the highest percentages of fatal crashes involving large trucks:

  • North Dakota: 23%
  • Wyoming: 21%
  • Iowa: 16%
  • New Mexico: 15%
  • Nebraska: 15%
  • Montana: 15%

For comparison, here are the states with the lowest percentage of these types of crashes:

  • Hawaii: 4%
  • Maine: 4%
  • California: 7%
  • Connecticut: 7%
  • Florida: 7%
  • Maryland: 7%
  • Michigan: 7%
  • Nevada: 7%
  • Rhode Island: 7%

When Most Semi-Truck Wrecks Occur

In addition to where truck crashes happen, it might help to know when they occur. That doesn’t mean you should automatically avoid driving at those hours. It just means you should be on more alert during them.

Here are the findings from IIHS:

  • 48% of fatal crashes involving trucks happen between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  • 52% of accidents involving passenger vehicles occur between 3 p.m. and midnight.
  • 17% of fatal truck collisions take place on the weekend.
  • 35% of deadly vehicle crashes happen on the weekend.

These data points make sense when you consider that most trucks are on the road during working hours.

As for passenger vehicles, many are on the road at night when people are going out to dinner and clubs, and that is when alcohol could be a factor in crash risks.

Consider that, per the above-referenced 2022 data from IIHS, only 5.8% of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.08%, while 35% of passenger car drivers were over the legal limit.

Why Tractor-Trailer Accidents Happen

There are many types of trucking crashes, and various reasons can cause each of them.

It’s essential to understand why they occur because it’s necessary to assign liability for them.

Here are some of the most common reasons for a truck accident:

  • Driver negligence
  • Poor truck maintenance
  • Overloading the trailer
  • Improper cargo packing
  • Drowsy driving
  • Company or regulatory policy violations

Identifying Legal Remedies Available to You if You’re Hurt

Getting involved in a truck accident is a life-altering experience that can lead to devasting property losses and possible injuries that could last a lifetime.

Legal remedies are available if you have sustained an injury or lost a loved one to a preventable crash. If a truck accident in or around Las Vegas harmed you, the Trucking Injury Law Group can help.

We’re a team of experienced lawyers who work exclusively with victims of these kinds of accidents. You can call to schedule a free consultation with our team to discuss what happened and find out what comes next.

Make that call today.