A new report from a national truck safety advocacy organization identifies the states with the most truck crashes and calls on the federal government to take more steps to reduce the number of collisions and related fatalities.
The Truck Safety Coalition's Deadliest Truck Crash States report released last week ranks states based on the number of fatalities based on per 100,000 population in 2021. The coalition's Deadliest Dozen states and the number of truck crashes per 100,000 of population include:
- New Mexico, 4.2
- Arkansas, 3.8
- Mississippi, 3.6
- Montana, 3.4
- Oklahoma, 3.4
- Wyoming, 3.3
- Alabama, 3.0
- Louisiana, 2.9
- Nebraska, 2.9
- Kentucky, 2.8
- South Carolina, 2.8
- Texas. 2.7
The national average was 1.7. The ranking is based on data from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In a. statement about the new report, the coalition called on the federal government to take action to reduce the number of truck crashes.
"The Truck Safety Coalition calls on Congress and the US Department of Transportation to aggressively pursue commonsense solutions to reduce truck crash violence on our roads," the statement from the organization said. Most of the colation's suggestions have met with considerable pushback from the trucking industry and/or drivers.
The steps the organization wants to see taken include:
- The Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must expeditiously finalize its automatic emergency braking rule for all classes of CMVs
- DOT/Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must expeditiously complete its speed limiter rule for CMVs
- Congress must require DOT/NHTSA to conduct side underride guard impact testing, not doing so fails to comply with Congressional intent in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
- Congress must fully fund DOT to conduct its lifesaving work without unsafe riders that prohibit FMCSA from implementing specific safety provisions for teen truckers in the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program
- DOT/FMCSA must expeditiously require new motor carriers to pass a knowledge exam proving that they know and can implement Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) required to safely operate a motor carrier business, including those hauling hazardous materials. Currently, DOT allows anyone to operate in interstate commerce who files appropriate paperwork without requiring any evidence they know the rules to keep truck drivers and all roadway users safe
