What are the death rates in trucking accidents?

It is no secret that the larger size of commercial trucks can make them more deadly than smaller vehicles if they are involved in an accident. If you or a loved one has been in a trucking accident in California, you will have likely realized or even experienced personally the dangers that such a collision entails. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety details the fatality rates for accidents involving large trucks.

First of all, the good news is that the number of vehicle occupants, bicyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists who are killed in trucking accidents each year has seen a recent decline. From 1975 to 2008, there were between 4,000 and 6,000 fatalities from this type of crash each year. Since 2008, the numbers have decreased to fewer than 3,852 every year.

Studies have shown that you are more likely to die in a trucking accident involving two vehicles if you are in the smaller vehicle. In 2015, 97 percent of the fatalities in this type of accident were the passenger vehicle occupants.

The area of impact for each vehicle can also increase the chances of death. Drivers and passengers in smaller cars are more likely to die in a head-on collision, when the front of their car impacts the front of the large truck. This was the case in almost 30 percent of fatalities from two-vehicle crashes in 2015. The safest area for impact was the side of the passenger vehicle hitting the rear of the truck. While fewer people died from this type of accident, you are still more vulnerable in a passenger vehicle if you collide with a commercial truck in any area.