As a result of tremendous growth in the U.S. trucking industry, there are 2 million more trucks on the nation’s roads today than there were in 1996.  And as our highways have become more congested with massive trucks, the number of accidents involving trucks has risen at an alarming rate. Trucks are now involved in 1 out of every 9 vehicle accidents in the U.S.—a total of about 500,000 accidents every year—and the annual death toll due to truck accidents stands at about 5,000 per year.

Although all vehicle accidents are capable of producing personal injury and death, truck accidents have a particularly lethal potential. To address safety concerns, the government has enacted laws and stepped up enforcement to make trucking safer and to reduce the risk of accidents, while trucking companies have improved safety procedures and training for truck drivers. But with some trucks weighing up to 80,000 pounds and measuring up to 75 feet long, most passenger vehicles don’t stand a chance in a collision with a truck. 

In addition to the size and volume of trucks on the road, a number of factors may contribute to truck accidents and their deadly consequences.