Large trucks involved in fatal crashes : the North Carolina data 1993-1997

Hughs, R. G.; Stewart, Richard; Rodgman, Eric; Martel, Carol; Pein, Wayne E.; Lewis, Lawrence · 1999 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This study, conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center for the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, analyzes fatal crashes involving large trucks in North Carolina from 1993 to 1997. The research aims to establish an empirical basis for targeted safety interventions to reduce fatalities, motivated by North Carolina’s ranking among the top ten states for such incidents. The analysis utilizes data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) and North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles crash files, focusing on tractor-trailers and single-unit trucks with a gross vehicle weight over 10,000 lbs. The study reveals that while fatal large truck crashes declined by an average of 5% annually from 1993 to 1996, this trend reversed in 1997 with a 14–17% increase. Tractor-trailers accounted for 84.5% of fatal crashes during the 1995–1997 period. Geographically, 73% of fatal crashes occurred in rural areas, yet there was a notable increase in fatalities on urban interstates and local urban roadways in 1997. Approximately 60% of fatal crashes occurred on US and NC-numbered routes, compared to only 20% on Interstates. Intersections were the most frequently cited roadway feature in fatal crashes (29% of cases), correlating with the finding that "angle" crashes had the highest joint likelihood of occurrence and fatality probability, being 7 to 8 times more likely to be fatal than sideswipes. Key risk factors identified include the number of vehicles involved and occupant age. While 93.5% of crashes involved a single truck, the likelihood of a fatality increased exponentially as the number of vehicles in the crash rose. The proportion of crashes involving three or more vehicles increased at a rate of 14% per year, outpacing the 4% annual growth in truck miles traveled. Regarding age, the presence of occupants over 65 significantly increased the probability of a fatal outcome. Additionally, the study observed a sharp increase in the involvement of truck drivers under age 26 in fatal crashes in North Carolina, rising from 8.12% in 1993 to 15.1% in 1997, a trend not observed in national data. Work zone crashes, though comprising only 1–4% of total fatal truck crashes, predominantly occurred on Interstates (66%) and were frequently rear-end collisions. The authors conclude that safety efforts should prioritize tractor-trailer operations on US and NC routes, address angle crashes through traffic engineering and conspicuity improvements, and focus on urban work zones. The study highlights the need to investigate the 1997 reversal in crash trends and recommends future analyses incorporate carrier and driver performance data. It also suggests evaluating industry-specific safety programs, such as those in logging, by linking crash data with commodity information to better understand risk factors across different sectors of the trucking industry.

Key finding

Angle collisions involving large trucks were 7 to 8 times more likely to be fatal than sideswipe collisions, and fatal crash probability increased exponentially as the number of vehicles involved in the crash increased.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 47666

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• fatality injury trends
• bus coach
• comparative international
• demographic disparities

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes