FACTS

Dump Truck Crash Factors

Dump trucks have several features that increase the risk of a crash, even when compared to other commercial trucks like 18-wheelers.

1. Height: Dump trucks are set higher off the ground than other trucks and vehicles. This puts them at higher risk for tip-overs, especially when the back is lifted. Accidents where a car slides underneath the truck are common, and can often be fatal.
2. Weight: Dump trucks carry tons of materials, making them harder to stop and maneuver. Once they get moving, they can plow right through barriers and other cars.
3. Driver visibility: Dump trucks have large blind spots, and drivers sometimes can’t see directly behind the vehicle. Visibility issues can lead to pedestrian accidents, back-up accidents, and blind-spot crashes.
4. Driving formations: Dump trucks often travel in groups in a single-file line, occupying much of the roadway. This can increase the risk of an accident and can cause pile-ups as well.
5. Merging issues: Failure to yield when exiting a construction site is a common cause of accidents. The “Trucks Entering Highway” signs that you see usually refer to dump trucks.

STATS

• From 2011 to 2015, 609 workers were killed from injuries at road work zones in the United States. These work zones include construction, maintenance, or utility work on a road, street, or highway. Workers in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California incurred the most fatal injuries at road construction sites during the 5-year period.
• About 46 percent of these workers were killed in pedestrian vehicular incidents, which include being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment. Workers were most frequently struck by automobiles or Dump Trucks. Of the 79 workers struck by an automobile, the automobile was moving forward in 72 cases. Of the 49 workers struck by a dump truck, the dump truck was backing up in 40 cases.
• During 2012, 756 truck drivers lost their lives in work-related incidents, while over 65,000 private sector truck drivers suffered injuries and illnesses that resulted in time away from work according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). Truck drivers, along with driver/sales workers, had a workplace fatal injury rate of 24.3 in 2012, more than 7 times higher than the overall workplace average.