All motorists in New Jersey must drive with due care, but this is especially true for those driving semi-trucks. This is because, when it comes to truck accidents, a standard 2,000-pound automobile is simply no match for an 80,000-pound fully loaded semi-truck. And, unfortunately, these types of accidents seem to be becoming more common.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that in 2016 there was a 2 percent uptick across the U.S. in fatal motor vehicle accidents involving large trucks and buses compared to 2015. In 2016, 4,440 large trucks and buses were involved in accidents that resulted in death. However, this number is 15 percent lower than it was in 2005, the peak year for deadly large truck and bus collisions, when 5,231 large trucks and buses were involved in deadly accidents.
When it comes to injury-causing accidents there was a 62 percent uptick across the U.S. in the number of collisions involving large trucks or buses from 2009 to 2016. In 2009 there were approximately 60,000 injury-causing accidents involving large trucks or buses. In 2016 this number jumped to approximately 119,000 injury-causing accidents involving large trucks or buses.
As this shows, truck accidents and bus accidents are not unusual and can result in injuries and deaths. It takes skill to operate a large commercial vehicle, and drivers of such vehicles must make sure they are sober and well-rested. If a semi-truck driver is drunk, fatigued or commits a traffic offense, it could lead to a collision that injures or kills other motorists and passengers on the road. When this happens, the victims of such crashes or their families will want to explore the avenues for compensation available to them.