Fatal Crashes in Texas Involving Heavy Trucks: When, Where, Why?

The objective of this report was to document the circumstances surrounding fatal crashes in Texas involving heavy trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 26,000 pound in the years 2000 - 2004. There were 1,865 crashes involving 2,004 heavy trucks and 2,325 fatalities. The study found that the overwhelming majority of the heavy truck-involved crashes occurred under seemingly benign conditions -daylight hours; dry, straight roads; no adverse weather; no citable violations by the heavy-truck driver; no turning maneuver involved; no traffic control device involved; no work zone. However, they did occur most often on high-speed rural roads, and speeding was the most frequently cited driver-related factor for heavy-truck drivers. Non-heavy-truck occupants were about 6.5 times more likely to die in these crashes than heavy-truck occupants, and heavy-truck occupants were much more likely to have suffered no injury than non-heavy-truck occupants.