Many people across Minnesota feel uneasy when sharing the roads with commercial trucks, and studies suggest these concerns have merit. The number of fatal commercial truck crashes occurring across Minnesota and the rest of the United States is rising rapidly, and there are a number of variables that may be contributing to this uptick.
According to Trucking Info, the number of commercial truck crashes that took place across the United States rose 13% between 2020 and 2021. Traffic deaths, in general, increased by about 10% during this timeline, and the nation saw its highest number of traffic deaths in 2021 than it did during any year since 2005.
Commercial truck crash statistics
Studies show that in 2021, 5,601 people lost their lives in car wrecks involving at least one commercial truck. The year prior, there were 4,965 such fatalities. In fact, tractor-trailer crash numbers either increased or remained steady during nine out of 12 months in 2021 when compared to the year prior, with crashes decreasing during just three months of 2021.
Commercial truck crash causes
Several different factors may be contributing to the rise in nationwide commercial truck crashes. Fewer motorists were out on the nation’s roads in 2020 than in 2021, and this may explain some of the increase. Truck drivers also faced especially demanding schedules in 2021, causing many of them to drive while fatigued. Trucking companies also struggled to maintain staff in 2021, meaning more new, inexperienced truck drivers were out on the nation’s roads.
Truckers whose actions cause injuries or fatalities may face sanctions at both the professional and legal levels.