From gasoline to groceries to garage doors, pretty much everything for sale in Michigan spent some time on a semi-truck. To meet strict delivery times, these operators often stay on the road for long hours. Since even experienced drivers have a hard time controlling these massive vehicles, they often cause serious car collisions.
Truck crashes are on the rise, not only in Michigan but throughout the United States. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) reports:
There are over 500,000 truck accidents in the United States every year
From these accidents, 5,000 people die each year
Only about 2% of the fatalities are truck drivers
98% of the fatalities are individuals in passenger vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians
One in eight traffic fatalities involves a truck crash
68% of fatal truck crashes occur in rural areas
66% of fatal truck crashes occur during daylight hours
In 2000, commuters lost 98,000 hours nationally because of traffic congestion caused by trucking accidents