In 2021, 5,700 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash, an 18% increase from 2020 and a 49% increase in the last 10 years. The involvement rate per 100 million large-truck miles traveled is up 7% from 2020, and up 22% in the last 10 years. Large trucks are defined as any medium or heavy truck, not including buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds. Both commercial and non-commercial vehicles are included.
Large trucks accounted for:
- 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes
- 5% of all registered vehicles
- 10% of total vehicle miles traveled
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Also in 2021, 117,300 large trucks were involved in crashes resulting in an injury, a 12% increase from 2020. Since 2016, the number of trucks involved in injury crashes has increased 15% and the involvement rate per 100 million large truck miles driven has increased 3% to 36. Starting with the 2016 data year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began using a new Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) to estimate the number of nonfatal crashes. CRSS uses a different sampling design than previous estimates and is not directly comparable to earlier data years.
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*2016 – 2021 injury estimates are not comparable to previous years.
A total of 5,788 people died in large-truck crashes in 2021. The number of deaths increased 17% from 2020 and is up 47% in the last 10 years. The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles (72%), followed by truck occupants (17%), and non-occupants, primarily pedestrians and bicyclists (11%).
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The number of injuries in large-truck crashes increased 5% in 2021, to 155,000. As with deaths in large-truck crashes, most of the injuries occurred to occupants of other vehicles (71%), followed by truck occupants (27%) and non-occupants (2%).
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*2016 – 2021 injury estimates are not comparable to previous years.
The infographic summarizes several key facts related to fatal crashes involving large trucks in 2021. More than half of fatal large-truck crashes occurred on rural roads and about a quarter on interstates. Sixty-three percent of the crashes happened during daylight hours, and 6% happened in construction zones. The peak month for fatal truck crashes was September, and February had the fewest crashes.
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Sources:
National Safety Council (NSC) analysis of NHTSA’s CRSS and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data files.
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, January). Large trucks: 2017 data. (Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS 812 663). Washington, DC: NHTSA.