It is estimated that an average of 5,000 Americans are killed each year in tractor-trailer related accidents. In Massachusetts, there were twenty-two fatal accidents involving tractor-trailers in 2008.
The number of large trucks involved in accidents has almost doubled from 2004 to 2007 in Massachusetts, according to data from Road Safe America. In 2004, there were a total of 954 fatal and non-fatal accidents combined and 1,689 in 2007. There were 912 non-fatal accidents in 2004 and 2,228 in 2008. The number of injury accidents has also increased, with 369 in 2004 and 988 in 2008.
The following are some of the causes of trucking accidents, according to Road Safe America:
excessive speed, consumption of drugs and alcohol, failure to use protective measures such as seatbelt and helmets, poor vehicle impact protection, and poor road design.
Also,
trucking safety statistics and a new study on driving behavior found that automobile drivers were to blame 56 percent of the time, truckers 44 percent, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The probability that a truck accident will result in death or serious injury increases with each extra ton of weight over 80,000 lbs.
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