Truck Crashes Continue to Rise

It was another terrible year on our nation's roadways.  Large truck and bus crashes continue to spike. 

We already know that truckers suffered more fatal injuries than any other occupation in 2015. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recurring annual report, Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2015, has been released with its 2015 statistics, the Agency’s latest year analysis of fatal, injury and property damage crashes across the country.

Why is this happening?  There are more cars on the road due to a better economy, a higher employment rate (more people driving to work), generally warmer weather leading to more travel, lower gas prices, and of course... more distracted driving with people multitasking on their smart phones.  

Here are the highlights:  

Information in the report is compiled by FMCSA’s Analysis Division from four major sources:  

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a census of fatal crashes involving motor vehicles traveling on pubic traffic-ways

• NHTSA’s General Estimates System (GES), a probability-based sample of fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes

• FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highway Statistics.

The extensive, full analysis also reports on transportation trends – crash statistics for large trucks and buses over time; and people - information on drivers of large trucks and buses involved in fatal, injury and property damage only crashes, and on people killed or injured in large truck crashes.

As a sidenote:  Four states still haven't banned texting and driving... 

Owner Operator Direct provides top notch commercial trucking insurance to owner operators, whether operating with authority or as leased drivers. For a no-obligation quote, give us a ring at 800-499-1044 (Monday-Friday 9-5 pm ET) or answer some questions online and we'll email you one.