Alarming Figures Show Texas Has the Most Fatal Semi Truck Accidents, According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released research that has identified Texas as having the most fatal truck accidents compared with any other state in the USA. Texas has unfortunately had over 480 fatalities from big truck accidents and is a lot higher than second placed California, which had 293 fatalities.

It is important to note that Texas is a big state. In fact, it has over 3200 miles of interstate highways to its name and there are lots of big trucks on the roads.

But, Texas has long suffered from 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer crashes, according to Houston 18 wheeler accident lawyer Greg Baumgartner.

Because of the weight that these lorries carry and their size, the potential of a big lorry to cause injury and death is rather significant. The chances of injury and death occurring are increased when a lorry is involved in a crash with a car or SUV. Because a fully loaded lorry sometimes weighs upwards of 80,000 pounds, compared to a conventional passenger car which weighs 5000 pounds or less, you can see why these accidents are so deadly.

Trucking Companies Need To Play Their Part

Truck drivers need to take measures to maintain accurate and unique records about the condition of the trucks that they drive. Drivers are also limited in the amount of time they can drive for on a single day, so these important rules must be adhered to and that the truck companies inspect their trucks and drivers. There are many other safety rules that both the trucking company and the driver must follow to comply with the law.

Of course, regulation and regular truck checks alone will not reduce the number of deaths in the state of Texas. It is important that non-commercial drivers of family cars and SUVs take measures to drive with care, especially when coming close to big lorries.

As a fellow road user, it is vitally important that you stay out of the blind spots of trucks as much as you can and try not to let trucks tailgate you. We would also recommend that you make sure that you anticipate that big rigs take longer to maneuver than your smaller car when doing your own maneuvers.