Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

In 2005, more than 5,200 people were killed and another 114,000 were injured in truck crashes in this country. According to a report released March 12, 2007 by a leading truck safety group, the most deadly trucking state in the nation (based on the number of truck crash deaths per 100,000 population) is 1. Wyoming (6.09), followed by 2. Arkansas (4.17), 3. Oklahoma (3.41), 4. New Mexico (3.27), 5. Mississippi (3.12), 6. West Virginia (3.03), 7. Kentucky (2.97), 8. Kansas (2.91), 9. South Carolina (2.91), and 10. Missouri (2.86).

South Carolina is the second-fastest state in the growth of tractor trailer fatalities. The states that experienced the biggest jump in their 2005 truck crash death rates, compared to 2004, were: 1. Oklahoma, 2. South Carolina, 3. Louisiana, 4. North Dakota, 5. Montana, 6. Idaho, 7. Nevada, 8. Oregon, 9. Illinois, 10. Virginia, 11. New Jersey, 12. Washington, and 13. Hawaii.

Safety on our roads is of paramount importance. In South Carolina, too often we have been used to being at the top of the "bad lists," and at the bottom of the "good lists." But it doesn't have to be that way. 18 wheeler deaths can be prevented - but it takes real effort by decision-makers at all levels. Perhaps the most important factor is for truck drivers and trucking companies to take responsibility for safety on the roads. Safety laws and regulations are not in place to harass anyone, or to make business more difficult. Those laws and regulations are there to make our roads safer, so that more tragedies, like the fatal accident yesterday, can be prevented.