Safety Epidemic for US Commercial Trucks, Says App Maker
A commercial truck is a rolling liability waiting to happen. Computer apps are trying to limit those liabilities by making driving safer and owning these trucks less expensive. One app supplier, Motive, has come up with a list of the country’s most dangerous roads based on the data collected from the last six months of 2023 through the first six months of this year.
Every year since 2021, more than 40,000 people have been killed in traffic accidents. Last year’s 40,990 death toll was the lowest in those three years, according to the Commercial Carrier Journal. But that’s 8,000 more fatalities in the same time frame ten years ago.
Motive’s conclusions are based on data from the more than 1.3 million commercial drivers using the Motive app and information about more than 45 million crashes in the US from July 2023 to July 2024.
The report was recently released at an industry conference where Motive’s chief customer officer, Ryan Plutnicki, stated, “There is a safety epidemic on our highways right now.”
Where and When Commercial Truck Accidents Happen
There are an average of 84 commercial vehicle accidents per 10,000 vehicles on US roads monthly or one crash for every 120 vehicles. Most of them happen on weekdays between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. During “afternoon drive,” many vehicles move slower in congested traffic, so hopefully, the damage and injuries are limited.
Many of these accidents happen in parking lots. “We’ve never had as many truck stop accidents as we’ve had the last two years,” PGT Trucking President Gregg Troian stated at the conference. When commercial trucks speed up, collision rates are highest at 60 mph.
Motive users are involved in about 1,000 collisions monthly, stated Abhishek Gupta, Motive’s vice president of product management. More than half of their fatal accidents (54%) involve large commercial trucks in rural areas.
Motive estimates that the most dangerous roads for commercial trucks and those driving near them are Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) and Highway 997 near Tamiami and Kendall West, Florida. There are between 69.3 and 76.2 crashes for every 1,000 vehicles in this area. That’s more than twice the accident rate of what’s next on the list: Highway 285 and Highway 123 near Pecos, Texas (32.17 collisions per 1,000 vehicles).
The report also analyzed the dangers in six major US metropolitan areas: Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Nashville. Los Angeles (11.5 per thousand vehicles on the road) and Detroit (6.5) had the worst monthly collision rates. The areas near or adjoining major airports had the most collisions in all these cities but Detroit.
Motive estimates the most dangerous intersection in these cities was the I-75 and I-375 connection in Detroit, with nearly two crashes weekly. That’s more than four times higher than the next most dangerous area, Nashville’s I-40 and I-24 intersection (1.5 accidents monthly).
Commercial Trucks and Holiday Driving Hazards
We’re approaching the end of the year, which means three major holidays are coming up: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Along with them come increased traffic and the potential for wet, snowy, and icy weather that can make roads a slippery, hazardous mess.
Motive states that commercial vehicle accidents increase during the holidays. Crash rates go up 32% on Christmas Day compared to the rest of December. Speeding events go up 10% the week before.
Hours-of-service violations peak at Christmas and drop during the two weeks after. Motive found the following:
- For last year’s major holidays, Christmas has the highest accident rate (54.1), with New Year’s Day (43.9) and Thanksgiving (38.9) next
- Motive blames winter weather conditions. Almost two-thirds (65.5%) of crashes happened when roads were wet or snowy. Nearly half (47%) of all accidents took place after dark, though there are more vehicles on the streets during the day
- Contributing factors could also be what Motive pointed out: Drivers could be distracted and tired because they’re driving more hours than they should and faster than the speed limit or at least too fast for conditions
When you drive, be especially careful when it’s dark, the weather is terrible, and commercial trucks are nearby. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton if you avoid an accident with a truck.
Speak To a Kentucky Truck Accident Attorney Today
If you are injured in an accident with a commercial truck in Kentucky, Satterley & Kelley PLLC can get you the compensation you deserve. Put boots on the ground with our help.
You can schedule a free initial consultation at our Louisville office by calling 855-385-9532 or completing our contact form today.