Truck-Related Accidents in Florida

In Florida, you cannot drive from one city to the next without seeing a multitude of trucks along the way. All day, every day these trucks can been seen making their journeys up and down the highways. Most times these drivers have been on the road all day, for multiple days at a time. This can cause their attention to drift, making the likelihood of an accident occurring much higher than the average driver.

Of these large truck accidents, the majority of the time the passengers in the smaller vehicles are the ones left injured or killed. On average these trucks can weigh 20-30 times as much as the passenger cars, leaving those cars passengers much more vulnerable in an accident.

What Causes These Truck Accidents in Florida?

There are many reasons for the high percentage of truck related accidents. For example, loaded tractor trailers can take longer to brake than an average car, anywhere between 20-40% farther than cars to stop. This can be even higher of a discrepancy when the roads are wet or slippery. Another huge risk causing truck injuries or fatalities is fatigue. Federal hours-of-service regulations allow drivers to drive up to 11 hours per stretch. Although, surveys have shown that many drivers tend to violate these regulations.

2017 Truck Accident and Fatality Statistics

Occupant deaths in two-vehicle crashes involving a large truck and a passenger vehicle, 2017
Occupant type	Deaths	%
Passenger vehicle occupants	2,157	97
Large truck occupants	70	3
All occupant deaths	2,227	100

According to the U.S Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 2017 a total of 4,102 people were fatally injured in truck related accidents. Of these deaths, 17% were tuck occupants, while 68% were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles and 14% were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.

Motor vehicle crash deaths occurring in large truck crashes and other crashes, 2017
Crash type	Deaths	%
Large truck crashes	4,102	11
Other crashes	33,031	89
All crashes	37,133	100

Of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 11% involved a large truck.

If you or a loved one were injured or killed in a large truck collision, schedule a free consultation with the lawyers at Kaire & Heffernan today.

 

Samantha Heffernan