I want to share one more table from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Report to Congress on the Large Truck Crash Causation Study and then I’ll move on.
The report contains a lot of interesting information about semi truck crashes, but perhaps the most interesting table in this large truck accident report is Table 7 which breaks down the main causes of semi truck accidents, as follows:
Table 7 - Estimated Number of Trucks in All Crashes by Critical Reasons
Reasons Total* Percent**
Driver
Non-Performance 9,000 11.6%
Recognition 22,000 28.4%
Decision 29,000 38.0%
Performance 7,000 9.2%
Driver Total 67,000 87.2%
Vehicle 8,000 10.1%
Environment 2,000 2.3%
Unknown *** 0.3%
Totals - Assigned to Large Trucks 77,000 100.0%
Critical Reason Not Assigned to Truck 64,000
Notes: *Estimates are rounded to the nearest 1,000. **Percents are calculated on unrounded weighted numbers. ***Weighted numbers lower than 500 are rounded to zero. Source: LTCCS Database, July 2005.
Notice that 87% of tractor trailer truck crashes in this study were tied to driver behavior, while something like weather conditions accounts for only 2%. As a Missouri semi-truck accident attorney who has seen the results of a number of Missouri tractor trailer accidents, I must ask: Are commercial truck drivers properly trained to be behind the wheel of big rigs when they’re capable of causing so much damage and injury– or should a truck driver’s license require more training and expertise than it presently does?

The March 2006 Report to Congress on the Large Truck Crash Causation Study compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, contained quite a bit of interesting information on semi truck crashes. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) was “the first-ever national study to attempt to determine the critical events and associated factors that contribute to serious large truck crashes allowing DOT and others to implement effective countermeasures to reduce the occurrence and severity of these crashes.”

For anyone who has been involved in a semi truck accident or whose family member or loved one was
injured in a tractor trailer crash , this report (click here to view this report) contains a lot of very interesting information. Much of it is presented in easy-to-understand tables. For example:
Table 1 - Crashes by Severity Level
Severity Level Number Percent
Fatal 223 23.1%
Incapacitating Injury 278 28.7%
Non-Incapacitating Injury 466 48.2%
Total Crashes 967 100.0%
Source: Unweighted LTCCS Database, July 2005.
Obviously, if well over half of crashes involving tractor trailer trucks cause either death or incapacitating injuries, semi truck accidents are – or should be – a serious issue for those concerned with public health and safety, not just those involved in semi truck accident cases.

In addition to driver distraction, driver error, road and weather conditions, semi truck driver fatigue and other causes of tractor trailer accidents in Missouri and on our nation’s roads and highways, equipment malfunction is also a cause or contributing cause in almost 30 percent of semi truck accidents.

In the truck accident report to congress dated March of 2006, called Report to Congress on the Large Truck Crash Causation Study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, equipment malfunction was often a contributing factor in many truck accidents. Indeed brake problems were coded for almost 30 percent of the truck accidents in the study (29.4%) while brake problems are a factor in only 5% of passenger vehicles.

Because — according to this same study — such a large percentage of truck accidents result in fatalities (23.1%) or incapacitating injuries (28.7%), should it not be incumbent upon semi truck companies, commercial carriers and independent drivers to ensure that their trucks and equipment – and most especially their brakes – are religiously maintained and in good working order at all times? As a semi truck accident attorney who has seen his share of the devastation that Missouri tractor trailer accidents cause, I believe that there should be stringent regulations governing the upkeep of semi trucks and commercial tractor trailers on our roads with special attention paid to brake conditions and inspections.

Preliminary Truck crash statistics for 2007 can be viewed here, 2007 crash statistics.

These are “summarized crash statistics for large trucks and buses involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes that occurred in the United States. These statistics are derived from two sources: the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Crash Statistics contain information that can be used to identify safety problems in specific geographical areas or to compare state statistics to the national crash figures.”

For those under the mistaken impression that semi truck accidents in Missouri or the rest of the country are rare occurrences, you can clearly see that this is not the case. Tractor trailer accidents in Missouri occur thousands of times a year. Indeed, if you consider that there are only 365 days in a year, you will see the magnitude of the problem on a daily basis.

For Missouri tractor trailer crashes, the preliminary 2007 Missouri truck accident statistics show:

4,218 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal Crashes
1,553 Large Trucks Involved in Injury Crashes
2,327 Injuries in Crashes Involving Large Trucks

The preliminary national semi truck accident statistics for 2007 include:

136,438 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal Crashes
54,961 Large Trucks Involved in Injury Crashes
80,752 Injuries in Crashes Involving Large Trucks

For more information about Missouri semi truck accidents and what to do if you are involved in a tractor trailer crash in Missouri, please visit our Semi truck accidents page.

Semi truck accidents — whether rear end collisions, head on collisions, side impact or other types of tractor trailer accidents — usually cause significant injuries to the innocent driver and sometimes also the semi truck driver at fault for the truck crash. Serious injuries such as head injuries, back/neck/spinal injuries and permanent disability are not uncommon. Nor, sadly, is wrongful death.

Tractor trailers move America’s freight, and are an integral part of America’s economy and supply system. No one wants trucks off the road, but as semi truck accident attorneys who have seen some of the horrific consequences of Missouri tractor trailer accidents, we are serious proponents of increased truck safety on Missouri roads and highways.

Many truck drivers – especially long-distance and interstate truck drivers who are nevertheless using Missouri roads and highways –- use a variety of recreational and prescription drugs behind the wheel. Sometimes it is “speed” or “uppers” to stay awake on a long haul. Sometimes it is something like marijuana, which a simple test from the trucking company could pick up on.

However, there is no substance that can be considered “harmless” for a driver behind the wheel of a big rig. Mandatory and random (not pre-announced) drug testing should be an absolute requirement for semi truck drivers. Road safety depends on this for minimizing semi truck accidents in Missouri and the U.S.

For more information about Missouri truck accidents, please click here.

Technology has become an important ally in tractor trailer safety on the roads. We hope this will help prevent semi truck accidents.

Not only can GPS now track the location and movements of the nation’s semi trucks to compare against driver’s logs and trucking company records, but tractor trailers now have a “black box” similar to the flight recorder on airplanes. This black box for trucks – called an electric control module (ECM) that can provide important information in the event of a semi truck accident.

The ECM may store information on the speed and gears, etc. at the time of impact. However, if that information is not downloaded very soon after the truck accident, it may loop over prior data. In the event of a tractor trailer accident, it is important to find an experienced semi truck accident attorney and have them request the ECM information AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Interestingly, the ECM was originally developed to help save on fuel costs by regulating the top speeds of the tractor trailer, but over the years it has developed into a much more comprehensive recording devise.

Although the ECM information may seem to only be useful after the truck accident has already happened, it is our hope that just knowing the information will be available in the event of an accident, will encourage semi truck drivers to SLOW DOWN and DRIVE MORE CAREFULLY when behind the wheel of a big rig.

For more information, please visit our Semi Truck Accidents page.

Although driver distraction is a major safety issue for preventing semi truck accidents (also known as tractor trailer accidents) another factor in truck accidents is driver fatigue.

Many laws exist regulating how many hours a truck driver is allowed to drive without sleep or a break, how long a shift can be, and how many days in row the driver can work. These laws were crafted to minimize semi truck accidents and tractor trailer accidents. Unfortunately, many trucking companies and many drivers ignore these laws or skirt them with inaccurate reporting and driver’s logs that are less than truthful.

The good news is that advances in technology can track the actual movement of a tractor trailer and can accurately show if the semi truck was in fact moving when the log book shows that the driver was resting.

GPS tracking records and gas station receipts are helpful tools for getting at the truth in semi truck accident cases, but as a tractor trailer accident lawyer, I know that by the time we’re checking that information, it’s too late, and the truck accident has already happened. We can only hope that now that log books and reporting can be verified, truck drivers and trucking companies will begin to accurately report driving times, and comply with the laws designed to protect both truck drivers and innocent motorists from the horrific consequences of tractor trailer and semi truck accidents.

For more information on this topic, please visit our Semi Truck Accidents page.