The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 3,921 people were killed and 104,000 people were injured in crashes with large trucks, which are defined as having a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds. This was out of traffic crashes involving 333,000 rigs in 2012, the latest year for which complete statistics were available. The numbers represent a 4 percent increase from the previous year. South Carolina alone suffered 1,163 truck accidents and 132 fatalities.
About 73 percent of fatalities and injuries in truck accidents were occupants of other vehicles. Only 9 percent of fatalities and 24 percent of injuries represented the rig occupants. Rig fatalities were more likely due to multiple-vehicle rather than single-vehicle crashes. In almost half of the two-vehicle crashes, both the truck and other vehicle were going straight. Almost a third of two-vehicle crashes were head-on collisions for both vehicles. Only about 10 percent or less involved curves or turns.
Large truck drivers were less likely than passenger car drivers to have a previously suspended or revoked license. However, nearly 18 percent of rig and car drivers had at least one previous speeding conviction. Only 2 percent of truck drivers in fatal accidents had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 grams per deciliter or more. The amount was greater for passenger cars at 23 percent.
While truck insurance can prevent accidents from happening to you, it can help you deal with financial compensation when it occurs. To find out how, please contact us. We want to be your rig insurance provider in South Carolina.
