Last November, the latest annual update of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” was published. If you’ve kept up with my blogs and podcasts on knowledge-dock.com, then you’ll know I’m a big fan of this publication. Why? Because it provides a direct look at what happened – in a given year – with large truck crashes, trucks involved in crashes, and other useful tidbits. It’s a helpful baseline to understand what’s happening on the safety side of trucking. (The report includes buses, but I typically don’t cover that part in my write-ups.)
Also, because the study is published annually, you have a good view of what’s happened over time. For example, over the last 10 years, large trucks involved in crashes have risen 82%, but miles traveled have increased only 14%, and the number of registered trucks has risen only 25%. In other words, the crash rate in miles and per registered vehicle is increasing. I hope you agree that the increase is not a good thing.
Looking at combination vehicles, we find a similar trend over the last decade – crashes are up 90%, while miles traveled and combination trucks registered are up only 11% and 23%, respectively.
Every 15 Minutes
Letting the numbers tell the tale, you can draw your own conclusion.
• In 2021, 38,093 trucks rear-ended passenger vehicles. This number equates to 4.3 trucks crashing per hour, or one about every 15 minute
• Conversely, in 2021, 39,488 passenger vehicles rear-ended large trucks. This number equates to 4.5 passenger vehicles crashing per hour, or one about every 15 minutes.
While by a somewhat narrow margin, more passenger vehicles hit trucks than trucks hit passenger vehicles. We can’t say it enough – whether on passenger vehicles or heavy trucks – technology is driver assistance, not driver replacement. The driver is always in control of their vehicle. No technology replaces drivers exercising safe driving practices, along with the continued need for driver education.
During the 10-year period from 2012 to 2021, the number of registered large trucks on the roads increased 27%. Registered passenger vehicles increased about 10%. However, the percentages somewhat mask the fact that in terms of sheer numbers, the growth of registered passenger vehicles far surpassed the growth of registered large trucks. The number of passenger vehicles grew 21.8 million compared to growth of about 3.2 million for large trucks. Put another way, for every newly registered large truck that hit the road between 2012 and 2021, six to seven passenger vehicles were added.
More vehicles, more traffic, more potential opportunities for collisions?
Digging Into the Data
So, let’s delve a bit into the data and examine some of the statistics from this latest edition of the “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report. I hope you find this data review as enlightening as I do.
In 2021, roughly 60 large trucks were involved in crashes every hour of every day. This statistic means that a large truck was involved in a crash about every minute of every hour of every day. Luckily, the majority of these are basically fender benders, or “property damage only (PDO)” crashes – using the jargon of the regulators. About 77% of the large truck crashes in 2021 were PDO crashes, while about 22% and 1% were injury and fatality crashes, respectively.
Looking at combination vehicles, about 32 combination trucks were involved in a crash every hour in 2021. In this case, nearly every two minutes, a combination truck is involved in a crash. The breakdown among fatality, injury, and PDO crashes is similar (77% property damage only, 22% injury, and 1% fatality) to large trucks.
Looking at combination vehicles, about 32 combination trucks were involved in a crash every hour in 2021. In this case, nearly every two minutes, a combination truck is involved in a crash. The breakdown among fatality, injury, and PDO crashes is similar (77% property damage only, 22% injury, and 1% fatality) to large trucks.
Another interesting perspective is the incidents per state. In 2021, there were over 5,000 fatality crashes involving heavy trucks. About 21% of these were single-vehicle crashes, while the majority, 79%, involved multiple vehicles. The 2021 “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report notes that five states accounted for 36% of the fatal crashes: Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania accounted for another 15% of the fatal crashes by state. The numbers add up to 51% of the fatal crashes occurring in 20% of the states.
There you have it! Our look at the latest version of the “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report. If you’re a data nerd like me, then you’ll like that there’s plenty more detail, but I think this is enough for now.
Three Takeaways
In my view, there are three key takeaways from this analysis.
• First, crashes continue to occur and continue to increase. More cars, more trucks, and more miles driven all contribute. CDL holders need to remember that we’re the professionals; the rest of the motoring public is not. Therefore, it’s incumbent on us to do more to help avoid crashes. In other words, we need to lower speed and increase distance, among other things, to help avoid getting into a situation where a crash is the end result.
• Next, technology can help. Those of us behind the wheel of the big rigs need to embrace all the technologies – such as forward collision warning, collision mitigation systems, stability control, blindspot detection, and others – that can help us mitigate or lessen the severity of crashes. But technology doesn’t replace the need for safe drivers, safe driving practices (speed and distance), and comprehensive driver training. As a driver, you are always in control of your vehicle. Technology today, no matter what the driverless folks claim, is driver assistance, not driver replacement.
• Finally, there will always be passenger vehicles on the roads. Therefore, there will always be non-professional drivers on the highways – people who go too fast, too slow, wobble and weave, and, most concerning, get distracted. Again, 79% of the fatality crashes involving large trucks are multi-vehicle crashes. Of those fatalities, about 80% were in the other vehicle, not the large truck.
Bottom line: It’s really up to us, the professionals, to shift the paradigm and help reduce crashes by doing our best to avoid them.
If it’s to be, it’s up to me!
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