For Immediate Release Public Service Announcements
How Much Do You Know About Truck Safety?
Test Your Big Rig IQ
Lansing, Michigan, June, 2000 –What time of day do most big rig-car accidents occur? How much weight do Michigan trucks haul in a year? How long does it take for an 18-wheeler to come to a stop? Who causes the majority of accidents on the Michigan roads? These are just some of the questions that may surprise the typical driver in Michigan.
According to national statistics, more than 70 percent of big truck-car crashes are caused by the driver of the car or light truck. These statistics are consistent in Michigan, according to the Michigan Center for Truck Safety (MCTS), which announced recent findings by the Michigan State Police’s Motor Carrier Division and the Fatal Accident Complaint Team. Many trucking-related statistics concerning accidents are quite revealing.
Test your knowledge with the following questions:
1) How many trucking companies are there in the state of Michigan*?
2) How many miles were logged by big rigs in Michigan in 1998*?
3) How much freight did trucks in Michigan haul in 1998*?
4) What day of the week do the most fatal truck crashes occur**?
5) What month do the most fatal truck crashes occur in Michigan**?
6) Regarding fatal crashes in Michigan, how many involve a heavy truck*?
7) Are fatal crashes in Michigan involving large trucks increasing or decreasing*?
8) Of all crashes involving driver fatigue, what percent are caused by tired truckers**?
9) What time of day do most truck crashes occur**?
10) How long does it take for a typical 18-wheel tractor/trailer combination traveling at 55 mph to stop*?
* Statistics from the Michigan State Police, Motor Carrier Division
** Statistics from the Fatal Accident Complaint Team (FACT). FACT was created to determine the cause of commercial vehicle crashes through the collection of additional data both at the scene of the crash as well as through interviews after the crash.
“Most accidents can be prevented by following simple rules of the road,” said Ed Gaffney, former director of the MCTS. In order to help prevent crashes and preserve safety on Michigan highways, Gaffney suggests drivers remember these simple rules:
Big rigs have large blind spots: Drivers are asked to avoid staying in a trucker’s blind spots for long periods of time because the truck driver will not be able to see the car. Blind spots generally are directly in front and in back of the truck, along the trailer and cab of the passenger side and on the driver’s side over the driver’s left-hand shoulder. Remember, if you can’t see the truck driver’s face in the truck’s mirrors, the driver probably can’t see you.
· Trucks make wide turns: Trucks generally swing out a bit because they need more space to avoid a curb or avoid oncoming traffic. Cars are encouraged to hang back and let the truck complete the turn so they don’t get squeezed.
The MCTS is funded by a grant from the Michigan Truck Safety Commission through registration fees from the trucking industry. The MCTS provides safety training to commercial truck drivers and promotes the concept that both car and truck drivers should be courteous and “share the road”.
Answers:
1) There are 10,276 trucking
companies that make Michigan their home.
quiz
2) According to diesel fuel tax
reports, trucks drove approximately 3,065,476,245 miles in 1998.
quiz
3) More than 160 million tons of freight were hauled in 1998.
4) The answer may surprise you, but more fatal truck crashes occur on Wednesday than on any other day of the week. As for passenger cars and light trucks, more fatal crashes occur on Saturday.
5) October
6) Nationally, 12 percent of all fatal crashes involve a truck. However, in Michigan, only 7.1 percent of fatal crashes involve a big rig.
7) Over the past 10 years, fatal crashes involving large trucks have decreased by 35 percent while vehicle miles driven have increased by 44 percent. Mile per mile, truck drivers have an accident rate less than half of car drivers.
8) Only three percent of all driver fatigue crashes are caused by truckers. In contrast, 97 percent of driver-fatigue related crashes are caused by car or light truck drivers.
9) Just over eight percent of crashes occur between 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. and between 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Only 16 percent of all truck crashes occur between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.
10) Approximately 300 feet on dry pavement. Conversely, a car traveling at 70 mph may take as much as 217 feet on dry pavement to stop.