Crashes

This chapter contains information on the circumstances of large truck crashes. Below is a summary of some of the information in this section:

• Of the 365,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2008, 3,733 (1 percent) resulted in at least one fatality, and 64,000 (18 percent) resulted in at least one nonfatal injury.
• Single-vehicle crashes made up 20 percent of all fatal crashes, 17 percent of all injury crashes, and 30 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks.
• Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on rural roads, and just over one-fourth (26 percent) occurred on rural and urban Interstate highways.
• Thirty-three percent of all fatal crashes and 24 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks occurred at night.
• The vast majority of fatal crashes (85 percent) and nonfatal crashes (87 percent) involving large trucks occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
• Collision with a vehicle in transport was the first harmful event in 75 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks.
• Rollover was the first harmful event in only 5 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks and only 2 percent of all nonfatal crashes involving large trucks.