Truck Related Deaths in Georgia
Between 1982 and 2006, 5,473 people lost their lives in Georgia due to tractor-trailer accidents in this state. Nationwide, in 2006 alone, 4,995 died in large truck collisions. Between 1982 and 2006, on a nationwide basis, 126,107 people lost their lives. Although large trucks are only 3% of U. S. registered vehicles, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, they account for 13% of annual motor vehicle crash fatalities. When a car collides with a big truck, 98% of the people who die are in the small passenger vehicle.
These sobering statistics continue to demonstrate that people will continue to die due to large tractor-trailer accidents occurring in this state and elsewhere. In 2006, 232 people in Georgia were killed in large tractor-trailer accidents. These statistics demonstrate, in rather graphic fashion, that large trucks are a danger on the public roads and that everyone is a potential victim. As stated, there have been 5,473 Georgia victims between 1982 and 2006.
As we have blogged about previously, there are numerous safety regulations in effect which are designed to reduce and minimize the chances of serious injury or death caused by trucks. Unless these safety measures are enforced, however, they can have little impact on the staggering number of deaths. Moreover, the statistics we have cited herein are only deaths and do not include serious injuries which are far in excess of the death total. Thus, if anything can be stated with certainty, it is that we do not need more deregulation of the trucking industry but rather more regulation, particularly in the safety area. Until such safety regulations are enforced, on a strict basis, it is regrettable that litigation remains one of the best tools available to try to reduce the carnage on the roads. By holding irresponsible and negligent trucking companies financially liable for their acts of negligence, hopefully, money damages will serve as a deterrent to reduce the numbers in what is otherwise a continual state of deregulation. Without adequate regulation it appears that private lawsuits may be the most effective inducement for adherence to safety regulations by the trucking industry.
