What are the causes of 18 wheeler accidents?
Although heavy trucks make up just 4% of America’s registered motor vehicles, they are disproportionately involved in 11% of all road fatalities (www.saferoads.org/issues/fs-trucks.htm). Eighteen wheelers account for a tremendous number accident deaths on America’s roads. The fatal crash rate for large trucks is in excess of 50% greater than the rate for all other automobiles sharing the roads, at 2.4 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles (www.saferoads.org/issues/fs-trucks.htm). Eighteen wheeler operators cover many miles of driving each day and there are enormous pressures put on them to complete their routes as quickly as possible. Although there are federal laws limiting the amount of time an 18 wheeler driver can operate the truck, accidents are caused by drivers who ignore these regulations in order to complete their route as quickly as they can. Additionally, many drivers prefer to drive at night in order to avoid traffic, and this leads to even more accidents. Some 18 wheeler op
