Big Rig Accidents in Oklahoma
Big rig crashes are among the most dangerous because of the size and weight of large trucks. When a semi-truck crashes into another vehicle or pedestrian serious injuries or fatalities may result. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office issues reports based on data gathered from collisions across the state. The most recent report provides data from 2015.
Fatal Big Rig Accidents
There was a total of 5,463 collisions involving large trucks in 2014. Of those crashes, 90 were fatal with 100 fatalities resulting. This number is slightly lower than fatalities that occurred in OK in 2014. 5,155 large truck accidents happened in 2015 with 91 fatal crashes and 116 fatalities in total. Deadly truck collisions increased in 2015 but resulted in fewer total deaths.
In general, collisions in OK increased in 2015 with a total of 72,503. 590 deadly collisions resulted in 645 deaths that year. An average of 199 crashes occurred daily in 2015, an increase over 2014 when there were 187 each day. That is a 6.42% increase. The statewide mileage death rate measures deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, VMT. In 2014 the death rate was 1.40 deaths per 100 million VMT, and in 2015 the rate was 1.35.
Large Truck Data
Most of those who died as a result of a semi-truck accident are occupants of other vehicles. These statistics are as follows:
| Year | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 86 | 1,682 |
| 2008 | 90 | 1,430 |
| 2009 | 74 | 1,255 |
| 2010 | 67 | 1,260 |
| 2011 | 71 | 1,363 |
| 2012 | 84 | 1,359 |
| 2013 | 73 | 1,266 |
| 2014 | 82 | 1,405 |
| 2015 | 84 | 1,419 |
The total number of deadly incidents with large trucks decreased through the years; however, the deaths per year have changed little over the past ten years.
Statistics show that the most accidents occurred in October, closely followed by May, September, and December. More accidents happened on Friday than on other week days. The vehicles and drivers in Oklahoma continue to rise every year. In 2015 there were 2,642,796 licensed drivers and 4,053,770 vehicles registered in OK, the highest number recorded.
Most of the deadly collisions reported in 2015 happened in rural areas and with drivers licensed in Oklahoma. Contributing factors include speeding, failure to yield, inattention, driving left of center and DUI. Inattention includes a number of factors such as using a cell phone, texting and driving while drowsy.