Did you know….
*In 2006, 4,732 large trucks were in fatal accidents, costing 5,000 lives
*In 2006, large trucks resulted in 85, 984 personal injuries across the nation in 135,741 non-fatal accidents
*According to researchers, the heavier the truck, the more likely it is that the truck will cause fatalities if it is in a trucking accident
*Most trucking accident fatalities – 55%, in fact – are caused by rollovers.
*Trucking accidents can cause serious burn injuries as a result of battery fires or fuel oil fires in an accident
*A half empty tanker has a much higher risk of rollover than a fully loaded semi, since the substance in the truck can slosh, resulting in a rollover.
*Passenger car drivers are at fault in trucking accidents about 56% of the time and truck drivers are responsible at least 44% of the time, according to research conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
*A truck takes three times the distance to stop as a passenger vehicle, which is why experts urge all drivers to give trucks more room
*Fully loaded commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds
*Many commercial trucks have a “black box” — Commercial trucks made in the US after the 1990s generally have what is known as an Electronic Control Module (ECM), which is similar to the black box on an airplane