To operate the safest fleet possible, you must keep up with the latest data. Unfortunately, this means tracking the latest truck accident data as well. Although it seems like a dark task, it gives you the necessary knowledge to keep your fleet drivers safe and make informed decisions. We’ll summarize the latest commercial vehicle collision statistics so you can move forward with all the information you need. This data comes from the National Safety Council, a group that regularly gathers data on traffic fatalities for research purposes.
Brief Overview
The latest data to come out from the NSC is from 2021. We will be summarizing that data here. This data has been gathered only for large trucks. Large trucks include any medium or heavy truck with a gross weight of over 10,000 pounds. However, this does not include buses or motor homes. This data is not specific to commercial vehicles.
Large trucks accounted for:
- 5% of all registered vehicles
- 10% of total vehicle miles traveled
- 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes.
Fatal Crashes
Let’s explore more of the data regarding large trucks and fatal crashes. 5,700 large trucks were involved in a deadly crash in 2021. This represents an 18% increase from 2020 and a 49% increase in the last ten years. When you compare the data to how many miles were traveled by large truck, the numbers still show an increase of 7% and 22%, respectively.
In 2021, 5,788 people died in large-truck crashes. That’s a 17% increase from 2020 and a 47% increase in the last ten years. These deaths break down as follows:
- 72% were occupants of other vehicles
- 17% were truck occupants
- 11% were non-occupants (bicyclists or pedestrians)
Injuries
Now, we will look into crashes that resulted in injuries. These numbers are much higher. 117,300 truck crashes resulted in injuries in 2021. That’s a 12% increase from 2020 and a 15% increase from 2016. In 2016, the NHTSA began measuring non-fatal crashes with a new system, so that is the first year that comparable data is available.
The number of injuries in large-truck crashes increased by 5% in 2021 to 155,000. These injuries break down as follows:
- 71% were occupants of other vehicles
- 27% were truck occupants
- 2% were non-occupants
Where Do Accidents Occur?
It’s also interesting to look at where and when fatal accidents occurred in 2021. We’ll outline a few comparisons.
How to Protect Your Fleet
It is crucial to have a safety policy in place that ensures your fleets know proper behavior on the road. Implementing technology like telematics and dashcams can also ensure that you have data on driver behavior and can make informed decisions for training and policy. You can also support your team with programs like our driver rewards system that automatically tracks driver behavior and rewards your best drivers for their efforts. To learn how you can promote driver safety with Azuga, contact one of our experts for a demo today.
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