Accidents ...what's the Truth?

Why do you think that teaching isn't more dangerous then driving a semi? Fact is trk driving ranks as one of the top 10 dangerous jobs there is.Think its more dangerous then a police officer.I would say teaching is more dangerous then driving a rig because the ones they're teaching has no exp so the trainers are putting their lives in the hands of the students.I don't know where exactly the data is but im sure someone will post a link for you.

 

At the fmcsa csa snapshot website, you can look at accidents for each individual company. I'm not sure about overall accidents industry-wide. If you dig around on the fmcsa website, you may be able to find info.
https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx

 

Here you go; http://www.dot.gov/research-and-statistics

I was going to address that silly statement you referred to from that other thread, I did not feel like wading through the statistics to correct that poster, but feel free.

 

Again trucking accidents happen everyday, some of them are stupid preventable accidents while others are serious and hard to figure out. The stats are there for those who want to dig for them but no stat can tell you a trend or predict what can happen when there is a lack of something.

The news cycle has made a big deal about this comedian who was hurt in a truck crash, which is sad that someone died in the crashed, so maybe the driver is completely at fault but we end up condemning the entire industry for it and most of us suffer in the long run with more BS to put up with. Look at how the list of idiot entertainers/news talking heads have come out and vilified all of us, without any knowledge of what goes on or how dangerous this really is. I think if Morgan and the critics would do this job for just a week, they would end up running from it, they don't have the nerve to deal with the pressures and dangers we do every day, they are just entertainers.

 

The thing to remember there are accidents and there are wrecks two totally different things.

Wrecks are not the only way to die in trucking !!
They are not even the most often way that drivers are killed or injured .

There at least a million things that can hurt you out here in the trucking world that new people wouldn't even dream of .
There are people killed every year in truck stops by getting run over.
Heck the fuel island is a very dangerous place what with the slick fuel and water all over the place.

Falling off of trailers hurts many falling out of the truck gets a few too believe it or not .
Wind blowing them doors on the trailer can knock the crap out of you .

I could go on for hours about things that can put you the emergency room every minute that you are out here .
I will also bet my bottom dollar a heck of a lot more drivers have been shot than all of the teachers put together .

Just because we dont hear of them like we do the whole school shooting thing doesnt mean it isn't happening out here !

 

Hi jj, well, the way things are going, teaching could very well be one of the most dangerous jobs. When I hear about school shootings, my spine just straightens out. I mean, the worst we did was egg the principals house or soap windows. I just can't believe what's going on there. As far as trucking accidents, you have to remember, per miles driven, trucking is still relatively safe, however, one site(from a lawyer, so take it or leave it) states, in 2009, there were approx. 300,000 commercial vehicle accidents, including 9 deaths and 212 injuries PER DAY!

 

Things may have been different if the driver that injured Morgan, others and even killed another wasnt going 20mph over the speed limit...

I believe the other poster was making a statement concerning all the school shootings and troubles in public schools... I have a friend who drives a school bus and has been threated by students and one even pull out a knife and threated to cut him up... over the memorial day weekend at our BBQ I asked him why he stills drives a bus and told him he should drive a truck... and he is considering it..

As far as how dangerous driving a big rig is... I dont think the stats give an accurate picture.. I am a conscientious and safe driver... I dont follow to close, or take off ramps too fast... I get to my destinations early, never had a late load.. but, not all drivers drive safe.. I see it everyday out there.. following too close, speeding, talking on there heead sets... drivers like that have an increased chance of having an accident...

I use talk on my headset more when I first started... there were a few times that I would miss my exit because I was talking on my headset... it made me realize that I better not talk on my headset so much while it is just a few missed exit... if I was distracted enough to miss an exit I was distracted enough to have an accident... so now I dont chat on my headset...

 

Enough with the hyperbole and the absurd implications, please.

Fatality statistics for trucks and passenger vehicles, etc. 1996 through 2011 total 11248 fatalities for a trucker http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/r...ansportation_statistics/html/table_02_01.html

Statistics for school shooting deaths since 1996; http://www.statisticbrain.com/school-shooting-statistics/ total 184

The chances of dying at the wheel of a big rig is 61.13 times greater than being shot dead at a school!

Correction, I realized after I posted that the comparison is skewed.

The correct comparison which does not include school shooting fatalities for the year 2012, a total of 57, or a total of 127 since 1996, is; 88.56, therefor -

The chances of dying at the wheel of a big rig is 88.56 times greater than being shot dead at a school!