Big Rig Accidents in Nevada

Big Rig Accidents in Nevada

A collision between a big rig and a passenger vehicle could have disastrous consequences. The dimensions of the truck and the fact that it may be loaded with tons of cargo can both contribute to severe injuries and even death on the road.

While Nevada, just like many other states, has undertaken steps to increase traffic safety, collisions with big trucks still occur on the local highways and roads.

Accident Statistics

Nevada Department of Transportation data for 2010 suggests that big trucks participated in 1,463 collisions during the year or approximately 1.5 percent of all crashes.

A more comprehensive picture can be seen by taking a look at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports for the period from 2005 to 2010.

YearNumber of Fatal CrashesNumber of Trucks InvolvedNumber of Fatalities
2005444853
2006374351
2007252529
2008202122
2009181919
2010151615
2011242835
2012192119
2013172418
2014151517
2015252627

Data for 2016 and 2017 doesn’t reveal an increase in the number of accidents. According to the 2016 reports, large trucks were involved in 519 crashes. These caused the death of 27 people and 206 injuries. Information for the first months of 2017 reveals 113 big rig crashes that caused six deaths and 39 injuries.

Hazardous Cargo

Big rigs often transport hazardous cargo. Anything from batteries to flammable liquids is classified as hazmat. While there aren’t specific Nevada reports pertaining to hazmat truck collisions, national figures abound.

In the case of fatal crashes, here are the statistics of trucks that carried hazardous materials in 2014:

  • Flammable liquids – 20 trucks
  • Corrosives – three
  • Gases – two
  • Flammable solids – three

FMCSA reports about large truck and bus collisions in the period from 2013 to 2015 highlight some of the contributing factors. These can usually be separated into three main categories – driver-related, vehicle malfunctions and environmental factors:

  • Speeding – 7.5 percent
  • Distracted driving – 6.1 percent
  • Weather problems that diminish the visibility (rain, fog) – 5.1 percent
  • Overcorrecting – 4.5 percent
  • Failure to obey traffic signs – 4.3
  • Failure to yield right of way – 4.1 percent
  • Alcohol and substance abuse – 3.3 percent
  • Reckless driving – 3.3 percent
  • Careless driving – 3.2 percent
  • Driver fatigue – 1.4 percent
  • Tire malfunction – 1.3 percent
  • Physical impairments 0.3 percent
  • Brake system failure – 0.1 percent

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