Whether you are a large truck driver or a road worker, it is important to understand the traffic accident risks you face, especially in work zones. Many traffic accidents that take place in work zones involve large trucks, and the impact of these collisions is often devastating. Whether multiple vehicles collide or a large truck hits a worker, these accidents often result in serious injuries and even claim lives.
From hectic traffic to bad weather, inexperience, fatigue and distracted driving, traffic accidents in work zones take place for a host of reasons.
Statistics on large truck accidents in work zones
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, roughly one-third of all fatal work zone accidents involved large trucks over the course of 2019. However, large trucks account for only about 5% of all vehicles on the road.
In 2019, 842 deaths occurred as a result of traffic accidents in highway work zones, an 11.2% increase in comparison to 2018, when 757 people died in such accidents.
The impact of work zone accidents involving large trucks
Due to their sheer size, as well as other factors (such as difficulty coming to a stop), large trucks pose an especially serious threat to road workers as well as vehicle occupants in work zones. These accidents can cause victims to suffer serious injuries that could prevent them from working, leading to financial hardships, physical pain, emotional hurdles and other challenges.
It is very important for the victims of these accidents to look into resources that could help them piece their lives back together. Negligent drivers must answer for the consequences of their behavior and victims should not remain silent.