Large truck crash deaths and injuries dropped in 2023
For more on truck crashes and safety:
As the vehicles on today’s roads have become more equipped with technology, including collision-mitigation systems, traffic fatalities and deaths from large truck crashes dropped from 2022 to 2023. For instance, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) most recent data, 2023’s traffic fatalities decreased by 4.3% to 40,901, while the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles driven (VMT) dipped to 1.26 from 1.24 in 2022.
On another positive note, the amount of people killed and injured in crashes involving large trucks (those with a GVWR over 10,000 lbs.), also decreased. The number of people killed in accidents involving large trucks fell by 8.3% to 5,472, while those injured in accidents dipped by 4.5% to 153,452.
Unfortunately, even with the overall decrease in fatalities and injuries, this doesn’t mean truck drivers (or those around them) are fully safe while on the roads. According to NHTSA, in 2023, 596 large-truck occupants died in accidents, and 365 died in large-truck crashes involving multiple other vehicles. To be fair, 3.1% and 24% fewer drivers died from single- and multi-vehicle crashes, respectively, in 2023 compared to 2022. Meanwhile, injured drivers in large truck single-vehicle crashes dropped by 23% to 13,138, but driver injuries from multi-vehicle crashes involving large trucks rose by 16% to 3,861.
This is also apparent in the Truck Safety Coalition’s latest report on the Deadliest Truck Crash States in 2023. Overall fatalities per state dropped in almost all of the top 10 offenders, particularly in the states with the highest number of deaths from 2022: Texas and California. In 2022, Texas has 810 total truck crash deaths, while California has 436. The next year, Texas’ fatalities dropped to 730 and California’s to 392.
In fact, Texas even dropped off the top 10 list of states with the highest concentration of fatal truck crashes. But for the states still on that list, such as Wyoming, New Mexico, and Mississippi, the concentration of truck crash fatalities increased in 2023. Mississippi’s death rate per 100,000 rose from 3.0 to 3.6, New Mexico’s rose from 4.3 to 4.6, and Wyoming’s climbed from 5.1 to 7.0, easily keeping its spot as the state with the highest concentration of truck crash fatalities.
“New Mexico ranks second in the nation for truck crash fatalities — a tragic and unacceptable statistic,” Senator Luján told the Coalition. “Truckers and drivers across New Mexico and the country deserve to travel our roads safely. That is why I remain committed to pushing the Department of Transportation to act and implement common-sense solutions that prevent needless deaths and keep our roadways safe.”
According to NSC Injury Facts, in 2023, there were 120 large trucks involved in fatal crashes in New Mexico, which accounted for almost 20% of total vehicles in fatal crashes in the state. Meanwhile, Wyoming had 40 large truck crashes, which accounted 22% of total vehicles in fatal crashes.
About the Author
Alex Keenan
Alex Keenan is an Associate Editor for Fleet Maintenance magazine. She has written on a variety of topics for the past several years and recently joined the transportation industry, reviewing content covering technician challenges and breaking industry news. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.