A recent analysis conducted by Ohio-based personal injury lawyer John Fitch revealed that Nebraska takes the number one spot as the most dangerous state for drivers of large trucks.
Fitch based his analysis on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for fatal crashes in each state during 2021. Large trucks were defined by the NHTSA as any commercial or non-commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating above 10,000 pounds, excluding buses and motor homes.
Out of all fatal crashes in Nebraska in 2021, 16.1% involved large trucks. This translates to 50 fatal traffic crashes out of a total of 311.
Iowa comes in at second place, with 15.5% of fatal crashes involving large trucks. The state saw a total of 76 fatal truck crashes out of 491 fatal vehicle crashes.
Kansas takes the third spot with 14.4% of fatal crashes involving large trucks. In 2021, there were 87 large trucks involved in fatal crashes.
Wyoming secures fourth place with 14.1% of fatal crashes involving large trucks. The state logged the lowest number of fatal crashes in the top 10 states, with a total of 20.
With 13.8% of crashes involving large trucks, New Mexico secures fifth place. The state recorded 89 fatal crashes involving large trucks.
Utah and Indiana claim sixth and seventh place, respectively, both with rates of 13.3% and 13.2%. Utah saw 63 fatal crashes involving large trucks, while Indiana recorded 184.
Texas lands in eighth place, with 12.8% of all fatal crashes involving trucks. Texas also had the highest number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes out of all the states, totaling 832.
Idaho and Arkansas round out the list in ninth and tenth place, with 12.5% and 12.2% of fatal crashes involving large trucks, respectively. Idaho recorded 47 such crashes, while Arkansas had 117.
On the other end of the scale, Rhode Island was determined to be the safest state for truck drivers, with only three large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2021. This amounted to just 3.2% of all fatal crashes in the state.
“During the time period measured, there were a total of 5,699 fatal crashes involving trucks across the U.S., which amounts to 9.3% of the overall number of 61,265 deadly crashes,” noted a spokesperson for Fitch. “The states in the top 10 all have considerably higher rates of crashes than the national average. It’s important for drivers to be aware of the risks at all times, and particularly in these states.”
Source: The Trucker
