Characteristics of Fatal Truck Crashes in the United States

This paper describes how one out of nine traffic fatalities resulted from a collision involving a large truck in 2007. These crashes resulted in fatalities of which 84% were occupants of other vehicles, even though the trucks accounted for only 3% of all registered vehicles and 7% of total vehicles miles traveled. This contrasting proportion indicates that truck crashes in general tend to be more severe than other crashes and particularly devastating for the occupants of other vehicles. To study this issue, fatal crash data procured from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) were used and various conditions that prevail at the time of fatal truck crashes were evaluated. Findings indicate that around 73% of fatal truck crashes occur on rural roadways when compared to urban roadways. About 82% of all the fatal truck crashes occur on two-lane highways, and about 58% occur on two-way highways that are not physically divided. Also, almost 68% of the fatal truck collisions involve impacts on the front end of the vehicle, which weakens the argument on poor rear-side visibility being the main reason for truck crashes. Driving under influence was another critical factor, as around 700 drunken drivers are involved in fatal truck crashes every year. Another important observation was that of all the drunken drivers in fatal truck crashes, the non-truck drivers are observed to have greater alcohol involvement (around 62%) than the truck drivers. Several other factors have been observed for the better understanding of the fatal truck crash characteristics. By addressing these factors through the implementation of appropriate remedial measures, the overall truck crash rate can be reduced, which can help in improving the overall safety of the transportation system.