Deadliest States for Truck Accidents
According to the safety group, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRSH), the deadliest states for truck accidents are Arkansas and Wyoming. Calling for tougher federal safety standards, CRSH points out that over 100 truck accident related fatalities happen nationwide every week.
These figures translate into surprising statistics and safety concerns in states with the highest fatality rates. In 2005 - the most recent year for which complete data is available - Wyoming registered 6.09 truck accident fatalities per 100,000 residents. Arkansas was second with 4.17, Oklahoma third at 3.41, New Mexico at 3.27, Mississippi at 3.12, and West Virginia at 3.03. Colorado registered 1.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, placing it in the middle.
In fact, the largest increase in truck accident related fatalities occurred between 2004 and 2005 in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
The Safest States
According to these same figures, Rhode Island and Massachusetts had the fewest truck related fatalities per 100,000 people. In 2005, Rhode Island registered 0.09 truck accident fatalities per 100,000 residents. Massachusetts came in second with 0.38, Connecticut at 0.48, the District of Columbia at 0.54, Hawaii at 0.71, Alaska at 0.75, New York at 0.76, New Hampshire at 0.84, and Delaware at 0.95.
Increasing Fatalities - Are Increased Driving Hours to Blame?
Over the past four years, the number of truck accident related fatalities has steadily increased. Some critics and safety groups blame the increase in driving hours allowable introduced by the FMCSA in 2003. The changes introduced resulted in an increase of 28 percent to the amount of time a driver can drive in a 7 day or 8 day period.
For more information, please contact Chalat Hatten & Koupal PC. The links below provide more detailed information regarding truck accident statistics.
