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According to the March 31, 2008 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Progress Report, the number of truck accident fatalities and injuries is declining. Unfortunately, despite this consistent drop in both fatalities and injuries, the numbers are still high.
Truck accident statistics for 2006 show that trucks were involved in 368,000 reported crashes (6.2% of all motor vehicle accidents) resulting in death, injury and property damage:
- Truck crashes involving fatalities totaled 4,321 (11.2% of fatal accidents.)
- Truck crash-related fatalities totaled 4,995, a drop of 4.7% from 2005.
- Truck crashes involving injuries totaled 77,000 (4.4% of injury accidents.)
- Truck crash-related injuries totaled 106,000, a drop of 7% from 2005.
- Truck crashes involving property damage totaled 287,000 (6.9% of property damage-only accidents.)
- Trucks drove 7.4% of miles driven by all vehicles.
While the number of truck crashes in 2006 was fewer than passenger vehicle crashes, the proportion of fatalities was greater than those resulting from passenger-vehicle accidents. This is not surprising, considering the size and weight of commercial trucks, and the circumstances under which many are driving. Trucks of up to 70 feet in length can weigh 80,000 pounds, a deadly force at any speed.
Lack of sleep and the stress of meeting deadlines, conditions familiar to most truck drivers, make driving these vehicles more dangerous than under ideal conditions. Sadly, these conditions are controllable and avoidable, yet are still quite common.
If you have been injured in a truck accident in the Aiken, Camden, Columbia, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Sumter, South Carolina area, please contact McWhirter, Bellinger, & Associates, P.A. today. Call 1-888-353-5513 today for your free consultation.
