How likely am I to die in a Texas truck accident?

Truck accidents can occur anywhere, but according to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are certain states where they are more likely to occur.

The report looked at data from 2012, during which year there were a total of 3,802 fatal truck crashes nationwide. That is about 8.3 percent of the total number of fatal vehicle crashes across the country.
So which states came out on top? Perhaps surprisingly, it was largely more rural states that appeared at the top of the list. At the very top is the state of North Dakota. Followed by that was Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and then our very own state of Texas. Below Texas were Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Indiana.

Texas had the overall highest number of fatal crashes, and tallied a total of 543 fatal truck accidents in 2012, but didn’t score at the top when the total vehicle population of each state was factored in.

Truck accidents occur for a variety of reasons. Federal regulators have recognized that one common reason is fatigue. Truckers spend long hours on the road and failure to get adequate mental and physical rest can lead to inattentiveness and serious accidents.

The most recent effort to address trucking safety was with updated hours-of-service rules which, among other things, reduced the amount of time truckers can spend behind the wheel. Overall, the trucking industry was not happy about the changes, which have reduced productivity in the industry. Still, truckers are bound by these rules, and failure to follow them can result in penalties.

Those who are harmed by a trucker who fails to follow federal safety regulations deserve to be compensated for their injuries. Accident victims should work with an experienced attorney in holding reckless truckers and their employers accountable as this will ensure the best possible outcome in their case.

Source: Cars.com, “Where Are You Most Likely to Die in a Truck Crash?,” Matt Schmitz, March 3, 2014.