Texas has a lot of commercial truck traffic carrying goods from one coast to the other, from Mexico to points throughout the U.S. and on numerous other routes running through our state. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Texas ranked tenth a few years ago in the percentage of overall traffic fatalities in large truck crashes.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), that was 11% in 2020. NHTSA reports that in the following two years, the number of large truck crashes – defined as those involving vehicles over 10,000 pounds – rose significantly.
What may be surprising is where fatal truck crashes are most likely to happen. It might seem logical that they’d occur on interstates and highways that are popular truck routes. However, rural roads are where motorists are most likely to be killed in collisions with trucks.
In 2022, according to NHTSA, 54% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on rural roads. Some 74% occurred on non-interstate roads. Most of the victims were people in the smaller vehicles.
What makes rural roads more dangerous places to encounter trucks?
Rural roads are often more dangerous because they aren’t as wide as highways and interstates and there are fewer lanes. There’s simply less room for smaller vehicles to get out of the way of larger ones – and vice versa. Truckers often have to use these rural roads to make deliveries and pickups of goods.
Speeding is also a problem on rural roads. It can be more tempting for all drivers to speed if there are few others on the road. It’s also easy to lose your sense of just how fast you’re going until you have to stop.
Another reason injuries are more likely to be fatal is that rural areas are often many miles from the nearest hospital or even fire station. Further, first responders can have a more difficult time getting to victims on a rural road if traffic backs up because there’s no way to avoid the crash scene.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or worse in a crash caused by a large truck – particularly a commercial one – there’s likely to be a lot of finger-pointing among the driver, the truck company and maybe even those who loaded or maintained the truck, if they’re separate entities. That’s why it’s crucial to have experienced legal guidance to help you seek justice and compensation.
