The state of truck accident-related fatalities in Mississippi

On Behalf of | Apr 21, 2020 | Truck Accidents |

Truck accidents involving passenger vehicles are more likely to cause injury or death than almost any other motor vehicle accident. Semi-trucks can weigh 20-30 times as much as a passenger vehicle and have much higher ground clearance, which makes collisions perilous for anyone in a smaller vehicle. According to the most current data available—from the year 2018—the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 96% of those killed in two-vehicle collisions involving large trucks were occupants of passenger vehicles.

2018 truck accident statistics for Mississippi

From trucker fatigue to poor maintenance to simple driver error, accidents involving 18-wheelers are frequently serious. Mississippi has 2.1% of the large truck total accidents in the United States, which places it among the top 20 highest state percentages. Most of these accidents occur on major roadways like Highway 49, Highway 90 and I-10.

More data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  • The percentage of large trucks involved in fatal crashes rose from 4% to 11.1% from 2017 to 2018, an increase of 0.7%
  • The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes fell from 938 to 898 from 2017 to 2018, a decrease of 40
  • The total number of trucks involved in fatal crashes increased slightly from 98 in 2017 to 100 in 2018
  • The total number of fatalities increased slightly from 102 in 2017 to 108 in 2018

Analysis

While there is a slight numerical increase in total fatalities and crashes from 2017 to 2018, it is too minor to be significant. The current truck accident rates in Mississippi appear steady for this two-year stretch.