There’s a common misconception that because truckers’ vehicles are so large, they think they can do whatever they want. On the contrary, any good driver knows that the heavier the load, the more careful they have to be. In fact, if you ask most drivers, they’ll tell you that accidents involving a car and truck are most often the car’s fault. Well, now people won’t have to just take your word for it, turns out it’s just been proven to be unequivocally true.
According to a new study published by the American Trucking Association, car drivers were assigned as factors in 81% of crashes involving both a car and a truck while truckers were assigned fault only 27% of the time. The totals add up to more than 100% because in about 10 percent of crashes, blame was assigned to both the car and truck. Even so, that means that a car’s driver is three times more likely to be a contributing factor to a crash than a trucker.
The study was conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and used a sample size of 8,309 car/truck crashes.
Truckers came out on top in almost every single type of accident including same and opposite-direction sideswipes, head-on collisions, and rear-end crashes. The only collisions where truckers were more often found at fault were backing accidents, and they accounted for less than 1% of the crashes used in the sample.
Driver safety may still have a ways yet to go, but when you hold up truckers next to 4-wheelers, I’d say they call us professional drivers for a reason.
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Source: trucking, thetrucker
Frederick Hall Jr says
Amen,that’s why Im installing a dash cam system for my rig so I can send my findings to the the government so we can get them to rethink safety and make a government ban on cellphone and texting systems in cars and trucks because it is not right that only trucks or heavy vehicles be only told that when 81% of the cars are at fault.
Stan says
So, how long before this information actually gets to the motoring public, like in the form of a TV commercial?
Instead of DOT and Politicians trying to beat the last 27% out of us, maybe,just maybe they should be looking at lowering the 81% that is everyone else,
Just a thought.
Jay says
Installing a dash cam system alone will not resolve the problem. I suggest installing cameras on all four sides of the trailer plus the dash cam. This method will prevent the greedy lawyers abusing the system and tarnishing the hard working truckers’ reputation.
Kevin Ayers says
Its about time it has been proven truckers are not the reason for all accidents on the roadways. I agree these findings should be made in to a national commercial. Maybe the high costs of insurance will drop even if only slightly will help.
Ron says
It doesn’t help if the Police are dishonest,and can cover-up the real facts by writing up a manufactured accident report. Covering up for a state owned vehicle,driven by a state employee,who’s vehicle runs a redlight into an out of state trucker,and kills HIS passenger. I lost my CDL,because of the Ohio Highway Patrol playing “politics” at my accident scene in Sept 2005. That I what the state pays them to do……be dshonest.
ironage says
If you are waiting for News outlets to carry this story….don’t hold your breath. It does not fit their anti-truck narrative.
James C says
Of Mummies, Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster, everyone loves a stereotypical bad guy. In the case of us truckers, it gives news channels something to harp on:
“18-wheeler involved in HUGE crash on the highway this afternoon; two people injured! The full story at 6!!”
Then, at 6, while telling the story in fragments through five commercial breaks, they’ll show you footage of police cars with their emergency lights on, show you a smashed up car or two, and an overturned tractor-trailer rig. But what they WON’T tell you is wrapped up in what they are “allowed” to say:
“The crash is still under investigation; this or that person is n hospital in critical condition,” and on what road and what time the crash took place. They are not allowed to release speculation, not even that proffered by officers, because that, you know, is actionable in court if the speculation was proven incorrect. So, what the public is left with, are images of lots and lots of police, an overturned tractor-trailer rig and a couple of smashed up cars. They are left to fill in the rest with their imaginations. Because three weeks from then, when the crash results become known, the public will not be informed. What then are people LEFT to imagine?
We’re Frankenstien’s monster; we’re the wolfman; we’re Dracula. We’re the bad guy. The REAL facts, that cars cause 81% of the crashes, don’t matter one single bit.
Why is another story, but the short version is, our market is saturated with automobiles. Get people licenses as young as is legal, get them in a new car as soon as you can sell one to them, and turn them loose to burn that incredibly expensive gasoline with them. We can’t have ANYTHING to throw a monkey wrench into that! We do, big oil loses profit, big automakers teeter over the edge of bankruptcy, and pork-barrel politicians have less money to throw around as they like.
It’s a seriously messed up system that is destroying thousands of lives on our highways every single year. But yet, those of us who actually use the roads responsibly, are targeted because we represent a greater POTENTIAL threat. Not a real one, but only a potential one. We can cause more damage/kill more people than cars if we crash. The media has deliberately turned us into the big, dangerous boogyman.
And we will remain boogymen unless things at almost every level in our motoring society begins to take on serious change.
Chris Howick says
Hit the nail squarely on the head there,my friend. And with these histrionic reports of 18 wheeler wrecks (Truck kills family….etc…) all it takes is some cub reporter 2 seconds to look into CSA and safestat etc to see that the company had a bad tire 3 months ago and they report that ‘The company has a history of safety violations….’ and once again we go round and round blaming the Professional Driver.
jeff says
Yea I knew this but never actually in black and white like this it is good news tho and it prooves truckers are the better drivers but then again we are proffessionals
jeff says
Big trucks equal big money, its a racket and a sourse of revinue
overworked/underpaid says
AAA did this study years ago and came up wit the same result. if i had it my way there would be camera’s looking at all 4 sides of my rig. I could easily prove 4 wheelers are chomping at the bit for high speed accidents.
sudon't says
Every driver knows this, but I’m glad someone took the time to look at the statistics. I am always amazed at what a 4,000 lb car will do in front of an 80,000 lb. truck.