Most drivers concentrate on improving safety skills tied to navigating around on their local streets and roads. However, far more time should be spent honing skills needed for running even brief errands on local (or interstate) highways. Big rigs and other large trucks pose special dangers to all drivers since their heavy weight can make accidents more deadly, their large “blind” spots can make it hard to see smaller vehicles and they often carry dangerous (flammable) cargo.

On October 21, 2009, a big rig traveling in Stockton down the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 suddenly veered across the median and hit multiple cars in the northbound lanes. While the early reported accident injuries were minor, many victims of such accidents are far less fortunate.

According to the University of Michigan’s Traffic Research Institute’s Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents Factbook (2006) regarding the years 2002 – 2006:

• An average of 5,200 large trucks were involved in fatal traffic accidents each year;
• California was one of the three states that reported the highest number of annual large truck accidents;
• There was an annual increase in the number of people killed in truck-related accidents between 2002 and 2006, rising from 5,314 in 2002 to 5,537 in 2006;
• The annual number of truck drivers killed in accidents during these same years increased from 664 to 784;
• Each year, an average of 363 pedestrians and 79 cyclists (including bicycles, unicycles and tricycles) are killed in traffic accidents involving trucks.
• Conventional large truck accidents, (See page 33), have increased significantly since the late 1980s. These involve the vehicles favored by most U. S. professional truck drivers who regularly haul large loads across the country. However, between 2002 and 2006, the number of accidents involving these vehicles stabilized a bit-although the overall numbers were still much higher than they were back in the late 1980s.

While the facts presented above involved rather general information, the following statistics provide more detailed data. These next facts address the specific types of truck drivers involved in the accidents, the weather conditions and the types of trucks involved in the accidents between 2002 and 2006 (See pages 31, 47 and 59):

• A bit surprisingly, about 84% of the accidents occurred on dry roads and about 87% of them took place on good weather (no precipitation) days;
• The majority of the collisions (about two-thirds) took place in rural areas during the day;
• October tends to be the most dangerous month and January tends to be the least dangerous (in terms of the average number of reported accidents);
• Eleven (11%) percent of the accidents were caused by a non-truck driver who crossed over the center line of the road and hit the truck head on;
• Looking only at fatal accidents: 30% occurred on state highways; about 25% on interstate highways and 23% on U. S. highways;
• As for the types of trucks involved in the fatal accidents, 74.2 % of them belonged to Class 8, which placed them in the heaviest Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) class. The October 2009 accident referenced above was called a “big rig” collision – it probably involved a vehicle in one of the heavier classes;
• It should be noted that about 58% of these 2002 – 2006 statistics involved tractor-semitrailers;
• About 30.5% of all the trucks involved in these fatal accident statistics were straight trucks without trailers;

• Sixty-eight (68) of the tractor-semitrailers and 23 of the straight trucks involved in fatal accidents were carrying flammable liquids at the time of the collisions. (Fortunately, almost 30% of the trucks were empty);
• Over one-third (33%) of the trucks in these accidents were just handling local trips (within 50 miles of their base) at the time of the fatal collisions;
• At the time of their accidents, sixty percent (60%) of the truck drivers “had no driver factors recorded.”
• Less than three percent (3%) of the truck drivers involved in the fatal accidents had been drinking and less than two percent (2%) had been abusing drugs just prior to their truck-related deaths;
• As was the case in the Stockton big rig accident, the failure to keep driving in the proper lane is the most common factor involved in large truck accidents;
• Excessive speed (or speed inappropriate for the specific stretch of road) was the second most common factor involved in the fatal big truck accidents.

Review this type of information can help all of us since it makes us aware that many stereotypes involving big rig or large truck accidents are untrue or misleading. For instance, we are just as likely to be in an accident with a big rig on a bright sunny day as we are on a rainy day. However, the month of October frequently proves to be an unusually dangerous month for big truck accidents.

Those of us living and working in California should pay special attention to these statistics since our state regularly records some of the highest numbers of annual big rig accidents.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in a serious big truck accident, please feel free to contact us for a free assessment.

If you’ve traveled down many highways surrounded by big rigs, you’ve probably thought about your own mortality many times. While a number of responsible big rig drivers slide behind the wheel every day, many other large trucks are driven by road hogs who show little respect for the much smaller vehicles all around them.

Although big rig drivers don’t cause every accident, as was the case in one 2009 Sacramento area crash, colliding with these large, heavy vehicles often leaves many injured or dead. When two big rigs and five smaller vehicles collided during a dust storm in southern California in early 2009, five of the victims had to be hospitalized and eight more required medical treatment at the scene. All of these deadly accidents may leave you wondering what any of us can do to better protect ourselves.

According to one study, out of nearly 1,000 truckers found to be at fault in highway accidents between 2000 and 2005, “at least one in four had been convicted of a criminal offense or received deferred adjudication before the crash.” (In a deferred adjudication case, a person’s driving record won’t indicate a conviction if he or she lawfully completed the probationary period.) This same research study found that, “More than 14 percent [of these same, at-fault drivers] had committed drug or alcohol offenses prior to their accidents, and more than one in 10 were felons.” Some states’ taxpayer dollars are actually used to train prison inmates to seek out these jobs.

While ex-cons may need extra help finding work, you do have to ask yourself if putting them behind the wheel of vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds is very wise, particularly if they’ve had substance abuse problems in the past.

This subject remains very complicated since “Employers have an incentive for hiring felons: a federal tax credit of $2,400 on the first $6,000 an ex-offender earns…” Joan Claybrook, who served for 27 years as the national president of Public Citizen until December of 2008, has noted that while some ex-cons might do fine in this type of work, other might not. As she put it “The job pressures truckers face and the fact that 5,000 people a year already die in large-truck crashes in the United States make felons and big rigs a potentially dangerous mix.”

Regardless of the backgrounds of various big rig drivers, the rest of us must find ways to keep ourselves safe while traveling alongside these huge trucks on our local roads and highways. The following facts and suggestions might help each of us drive more safely when in the presence of big rigs:

• An 80,000 pound truck traveling 65 miles per hour might need up to 300 feet to come to a full stop after the driver hits the brakes;
• While you’re in the process of passing a big rig, make sure you can fully see the front of the truck in the rearview mirror before pulling over in front of it;
• Bear in mind that when big rigs have to make a right turn, they often have to steer very far to the left to leave themselves enough room to make the turn. Therefore, never try to squeeze between the truck and the curb when the driver is doing this since you’ll greatly increase your chances of getting hit. (Big rig drivers cannot see directly behind or beside their trucks when making such maneuvers).
• Be sure to travel far enough behind a truck at all times, especially during poor weather conditions;
• Help support legislative efforts to prevent more triple trailer trucks from traveling down this country’s roads and freeways;
• Given the size of the big rigs, try to accommodate their lane changes and other lawful acts whenever possible;
• Always report big rig drivers who are driving dangerously to the local authorities (or state highway patrol) to protect yourself and others as soon as you can safely place such a call. Be sure to write down the driver’s company name, which state issued their truck’s license plate and the complete license plate number.
• When you’re entering a busy freeway, never assume the big rig driver coming up behind you can easily see you as you enter – be sure to leave the truck plenty of room to change lanes or continue approaching you at its current speed;
• Make sure you always keep your brakes, windshield wipers and tire treads in good shape so that you can react promptly and safely when a big rig or other vehicle forces you to make an unexpected maneuver;
• Big rig drivers often travel well beyond the speed limit to get their cargo to their next destination as soon as possible. Never try to outrun them. Excessive speed is nearly always a factor in accidents involving big rigs.

By keeping in mind the facts and suggestions shared above, you should be able to drive safely alongside most big rigs. However, if you are ever hurt in an accident with a big rig, please keep in mind that our law firm has successfully represented many accident victims in similar cases over the years. We can help you recover all that you’re entitled to receive under the law.