Ga. But some safety advocates say truckers play a bigger role in fatal accidents than figures indicate. Mike Scippa, of Citizens for Responsible and Safe Highways, said some studies do not take into account that most drivers of cars who tangle with big trucks wind up dead. Investigating officers often have only the accounts of the surviving driver when determining who and what caused the collision, said Scippa, spokesman for the nonprofit group based in California. The State found that the truck driver contributed to 54 percent of 3,389 nonfatal crashes in 1999 involving big trucks. Faster and faster.
Many car drivers say they feel the increasing number of big trucks threatens their safety.
And they worry that some truck drivers are not driving responsibly. And they'll come up from behind and get right on your bumper. They intimidate you something terrible. One study, conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said one-third of passenger car drivers feel uncomfortable near large trucks. Thomas Cafferty, a USC professor of social behavior psychology, said it's easy to understand why.