Saferoads.org is a non-profit group that hopes to prevent injuries and deadly accidents across the nation. The organization is made up of consumer, health and safety groups along with insurance companies and agents to help make our roads safer.
In this article we will be focusing on the information that saferoads.org provides regarding large trucks and the dangers they present on the highways of Virginia and across the nation.
Large trucks (tractor-trailers, semi-trucks and cargo vans) are separated from other vehicle classes by weight. These trucks weigh over 10,000 pounds and in the right hands can be very dangerous on our roads. According to saferoads.org these trucks "account for a disproportionate share of traffic deaths based on miles traveled."
The following list is provided by saferoads.org and contains some important facts concerning large truck crashes.
- In 2004 5,190 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks. This number represents 12 percent of all traffic fatalities. 77 percent of those who died were occupants of the other vehicle. (NHTSA)
- In 2004 116,000 people were injured in an accident with a large truck.
- Large trucks make up 4 percent of all registered vehicles and 7 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. However, they are involved in 11 percent of all crash fatalities.
- Each year large truck accidents kill the equivalent of 26 major airplane crashes.
- According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration large truck crashes cost over $19 billion a year.
Saferoads.org is working to lower the number of deaths and injuries caused by large truck accidents each year. They have proposed freezing the size of trucks driven in the U.S. Trucks keep getting bigger and heavier, a real threat to vehicles that share a road with them.
If you live in Virginia and have been injured or have lost a loved one after an accident with a large truck please know that there is something you can do. An experienced, aggressive attorney can ensure that the trucker and his company are held responsible for their actions. Please contact your Norfolk accident attorneys at Tavss Fletcher today. We can help you get your life back.