Crashes

This chapter contains information on the circumstances of large truck crashes. Below is a summary of some of the information presented:

• Of the 436,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2003, 4,289 (1 percent) resulted in at least one fatality, and 85,000 (19 percent) resulted in at least one nonfatal injury.
• Single-vehicle crashes made up 17 percent of all fatal crashes, 15 percent of all injury crashes, and 30 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks.
• More than two-thirds (68 percent) of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on rural roads, and nearly one-fourth (24 percent) occurred on Interstate highways.
• More than one-third (34 percent) of all fatal crashes and nearly one-fourth (23 percent) of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks occurred at night.
• The vast majority of fatal crashes (84 percent) and of nonfatal crashes (86 percent) involving large trucks occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
• Collision with a vehicle in transport was the first harmful event in 77 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks.
• Rollover was the first harmful event in only 4 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks and in only 2 percent of all nonfatal crashes involving large trucks.