9/13/2010
In March 2006 the FMCSA published its long awaited “Crash Causation Study” wherein 141,000 accidents over a 33 month period were studied involving tractor-trailers. The study found that passenger vehicles were the “critical reason” for the crash in 56 percent of all accidents involving two-vehicle collisions with a truck. The most common “associated factors” for both truckers and passenger vehicles were driving too fast for conditions, making an illegal maneuver, legal drug use, unfamiliarity with the roadway and fatigue. It is interesting to note that “fatigue” was found to be a “factor” in the crash for the passenger vehicle driver twice as often as for the truck driver.