Thanks to Josh W. for sharing this video with us.
This video is a reminder of what truck drivers face on a daily basis.
Video Credit: josh worthley
“Every crash, and every fatality and injury, suffered on our nation’s highways is a tragedy… It is also tragic that carriers and drivers across this country are saddled with guilt and blame for many crashes they could do nothing to prevent.”
Here is a summary of the ATA’s report:
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI): UMTRI is a leader in truck-related crash research. The highlighted study assigns driver factors to 8,309 fatal car-truck crashes as a proxy for fault.
• Car drivers were assigned factors in 81% of crashes versus 27% of truck drivers •
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Tasked with “reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes,” NHTSA has undertaken extensive research on the topic. Their 2003 study assigned causal driver factors in 10,092 fatalities.
• Cars were assigned driver factors in 91% of head-on crashes, 91% of opposite-direction sideswipes, 71% of rear-end crashes, and 77% of same-direction sideswipes
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: The foundation’s mission is “to identify traffic safety problems, foster research that seeks solutions and disseminate information and educational materials.” This study, one of over 250 projects they’ve funded to discover the causes of crashes, examined 10,732 fatal accidents.
• 36% of car drivers were cited for two or more unsafe acts • 11% of truck drivers were cited for two or more unsafe acts
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): FMCSA is the primary regulating agency for the trucking industry whose stated mission is “to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.” Two studies are noted below.
Annual Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts: Cites driver factors in 6,131 car-truck fatal crashes
• 2007: 85% of cars were assigned driver factors versus 26% of trucks • 2008: 85% of cars were assigned driver factors versus 26% of trucks • 2009: 81% of cars were assigned driver factors versus 22% of trucks
The Truck Safety Coalition cited the following statistics:
Council et al. (2003) found that in all crashes between trucks and light vehicles, trucks were more likely to be the “contributor” to the crash than light vehicles by 48 percent to 39 percent, and trucks were more responsible than light vehicles in backing, rear-end, right-turn, left-turn, and sideswipe collisions;
Preusser (1994) found that nonfatal lane change crashes on the Washington, D.C. Interstate Capital Beltway were twice as likely to be the result of a tractor-trailer changing lanes rather than a light vehicle lane change;
Wolfe and Carsten (1986) found equal apportionment of fault assignment in nonfatal crashes, but car drivers were assigned fault 3 times as often as tractor-trailers drivers, overwhelmingly on the basis of surviving truck driver claims; and,
Shao (1986) studied highway interchange crashes and found that truck drivers were primarily responsible for the majority of these collisions.