| Toll Free: 866-761-1385 | | | | actions. The purpose of the Board's study was to |
| How common are injuries from heavy truck | | | | examine the factors that affect driver fatigue and |
| accidents? | | | | not the statistical incidence of fatigue. Therefore, the |
| An accident involving a heavy truck, 18-wheeler, | | | | Board specifically selected truck accidents that were |
| semi, big tractor-trailer truck, often results in death or | | | | likely to include fatigue-related accidents; that is, |
| serious injury. The statistics are shocking. Over 1 | | | | single-vehicle accidents that tend to occur at night. |
| million people were involved in nearly 500,000 large | | | | The Board desired to obtain approximately an equal |
| truck related accidents in 1999. That resulted in over | | | | number of fatigue-related and nonfatigue-related |
| 5,000 deaths and over 140,000 injuries. Of those | | | | accidents through its notification process." |
| injuries from heavy truck accidents, 10's of thousands | | | | The most common causes of heavy trucks accidents |
| involved severe brain damage or the loss of limb. | | | | are:speeding,running off the roadtravel out lanefailure |
| Some trucks weigh over 100,000 lbs when fully | | | | to yield |
| loaded. Unloaded, they still weigh over 10,000 lbs. | | | | But at the root of those causes of heavy truck |
| That is 5-10 times the weight of a car. | | | | accidents is often driver fatigue. |
| This problem of heavy truck accidents has been | | | | "The Safety Board investigated 113 single-vehicle |
| around for years, and the data is consistent over | | | | heavy truck accidents in which the driver survived. |
| time. For example, according to the Safety Board | | | | However, because the 96-hour duty/sleep history |
| analysis of Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), | | | | that was required for the study was not available for |
| in 1993 there were 3,311 heavy trucks involved in | | | | 6 drivers, the 6 accidents in which these drivers were |
| 3,169 fatal accidents, in which 3,783 persons died. | | | | involved were not included in the study. The study, |
| The FARS report shows that heavy truck accidents | | | | therefore, analyzes data from 107 single-vehicle |
| are often caused by truckdriver fatigue. In fact, as | | | | heavy truck accidents." |
| many as 30 to 40 percent of all heavy truck | | | | Based on the results of the analysis, the NTSB |
| accidents are caused by fatiuge of the driver. | | | | determined that fatigue is a key factor in heavy |
| What is the cost to society of heavy truck | | | | truck accidents, that hours of service regualtions are |
| accidents? | | | | a key to preventing heavy truck accidents, that |
| Injuries and fatalities are not the only toll inflicted by | | | | improved education of heavy-truck drivers is |
| heavy truck crashes. For example, the financial toll | | | | important in implementing improved safety about |
| that goes along with such crashes impacts | | | | fatigue, |
| commerce, costs of insurance, costs of health care, | | | | How is the cause of a heavy truck accident |
| and costs of good. The NTSB reports that the actual | | | | determined? |
| cost of all heavy truck accidetns in 1999 was $34 | | | | Inspect the heavy truck including mechanics, tires, |
| billion. | | | | brakes |
| What is the most likely cause of heavy truck | | | | Interview witnesses |
| accidents? | | | | Review police reports |
| The NTSB said, "Because of the significant number of | | | | Obtain weather report and determine driving |
| heavy truck-related fatalities and the significant role | | | | conditions |
| of fatigue in such accidents, the Board initiated this | | | | What to do if you were in a heavy truck accident? |
| study of single-vehicle heavy truck accidents to | | | | When a person is injured or killed in a heavy truck |
| examine the role of specific factors, such as drivers' | | | | accident they may be able to hold the driver and |
| patterns of duty and sleep, in fatigue-related heavy | | | | heavy trucking company responsible, as well as the |
| truck accidents and to determine potential remedial | | | | companies on whose bahlf a delivery is being made. |