Texas recorded 730 fatalities in crashes involving “large trucks” in 2023, well above the national average, according to a new study.
Those deaths represent 17% of Texas' total traffic fatalities this year of 4,291, the highest among the nation's largest states, according to Pegasus Legal researchers.
On a per capita basis, Texas showed about 24 deaths from large trucks per 1 million inhabitants – 48% above the national average.
California (392 deaths) and Florida (341) ranked second and third in the United States, but both states had much lower crash rates per capita. Tennessee has the highest relative risk of about 30 deaths per million inhabitants, followed by Georgia.
The Pegasus report combines 2023 fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with data from the Texas Department of Transportation. It shows the concentration of risk along major highways, including Interstate 35 through Dallas-Fort Worth and I-10 through Texas, as well as oilfield routes in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale.
More than half (about 51%) of all Texas road deaths in 2023 happened on rural roadsmany of which carry both fast “big truck” traffic.
All over the state speed was cited as a major contributing factor in crashes that killed an estimated 1,467 people in the first ten months of 2024, according to TXDot Data.
Texas has seen its fair share of tragic truck accidents that have gone viral, as seen in the November 2024 chain reaction. crash on U.S. 75 in Richardson, where an 18-wheeler crashed into vehicles amid debris from previous collisions, injuring several drivers and passengers in a pileup that closed the highway for several hours.
In response to dangerous roads, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently proposed strict new regulations. limits on obtaining or renewing commercial driver's licenses for non-U.S. citizens, calling it an “emergency measure” designed to close some safety loopholes.
The public comment period began in October of this year after the agency found widespread noncompliance in states including Texas, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington.
At the national level, large trucks have been involved in 13% of all road deaths in 2023, despite accounting for only about 4% of registered vehicles..
