A recent report published by the American Trucking Associations sheds light on the factors contributing to car-truck crashes. The report, which compiled data from various reputable sources including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reveals that in the majority of cases, car drivers are found to be at fault in collisions involving cars and trucks.
According to research conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, a leading authority in truck-related crash analysis, car drivers were responsible for 81% of the 8,309 fatal car-truck crashes studied. Similarly, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study from 2003 found that cars were at fault in 91% of head-on collisions, 91% of opposite-direction sideswipes, 71% of rear-end crashes, and 77% of same-direction sideswipes.
Data from the FMCSA, which examined 6,131 fatal car-truck crashes over a three-year span, further supports these findings, with cars being assigned fault in a significant percentage of cases.
American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves emphasizes the importance of incorporating this data into safety programs to address crash accountability effectively. He stresses the necessity of understanding the causes of crashes to prevent future tragedies on the nation’s highways.
For more detailed information, you can access the full report by clicking here.