Large commercial trucks are a significant driving factor for the modern American economy. They help get goods and supplies from one side of the continental United States to the other. Some areas, due to their geographic size, population density and economic strength have a greater risk for commercial vehicle crashes than others.
In fact, a minority of states are host to a majority of the fatal trucking accidents that occur, according to a federal analysis of data. California is among the 10 states where drivers have the most significant risk for a fatal crash involving either a commercial truck or a bus based on statistics gathered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) between 2015 and 2017.
One-fifth of states account for more than half of all commercial truck deaths
Drivers in certain states are at significantly higher risk than people in other places across the country for fatalities in crashes involving commercial trucks. A federal analysis of crashes made it clear that 10 states comprised 51% of fatal collisions involving trucks or buses.
Those 10 states include:
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
Unfortunately, that means that you are at a substantially increased risk for a potentially fatal crash with a commercial truck in California when compared with drivers in Arizona, New Mexico or Washington.
Both individuals who suffer injuries or property damage in a crash caused by a commercial vehicle or surviving family members who lose a loved one in such a crash may have the right to take legal action against the driver of the commercial vehicle or their employer depending on the circumstances involved.