The Most Common Cause of Truck Accidents

By August 25, 2016April 18th, 2019Personal Injury, Trucking Accidents

truck accidentsWhat’s the most common cause of truck accidents?

Driver error.

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, especially since driver error encompasses so much—from distracted driving to fatigue to performance pressure to driving while under the influence.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator, Dr. Mark Rosekind, “[n]inety-four percent of crashes can be tied back to a human choice or error.” Also, an NHTSA press release from July 2016 noted “a 7.7 percent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015”.

The high percentage of vehicular accidents attributable to driver error, in addition to the rise in 2015 fatalities, influenced Dr. Rosekind’s statement that “we need to focus our efforts on improving human behavior while promoting vehicle technology that not only protects people in crashes, but helps prevent crashes in the first place.”

90% for Decades

Driver error as the cause of around 90% of car and truck accidents in the US has been a reality for decades, as confirmed by multiple reports. An article by Stanford University’s The Center for Internet and Society provided a summary from reports published between 1979-2015.

  • 1979 — 90-93% in Tri-Level Study of the Causes of Traffic Accidents
  • 2001 — 99% in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study
  • 2008 — 93% in National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey by NHTSA
  • 2015 — 94% in NHTSA study

Do you have a personal injury lawsuit?

If you, or someone you love, suffered injuries from a truck accident, we encourage you to explore your legal options. What’s of the utmost importance is to choose an experienced truck accident attorney, who has a record of success with these kinds of cases.

Ask an attorney at Carey Danis & Lowe about your case. We offer free, no obligation case consultations.

Call 800.721.2519, or complete our confidential online form.