Semi-truck accidents are frequently occurring and a prevalent threat in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has tens of thousands of trucks speeding along its highways daily.
These semi-trucks weigh 80,000 pounds on average, making them difficult to stop. The high volume of semi-trucks on Oklahoma’s roads pose a threat to both the truck drivers and passenger vehicles.
What are the dangers?
Because semi-trucks are so difficult to stop, vehicles driving near semi-trucks may be at risk.
Even if you are driving as cautiously as possible, you may be at risk of injury. Of course, you are always at risk of other drivers’ negligence, semi-truck or vehicle, while driving but you may have a greater risk on Oklahoma roads.
In the past four years, over 100 people were killed in truck-involved accidents every single year. Every day in Oklahoma, there are dozens of truck-involved accidents.
In 2018, there were 5,836 total truck-involved accidents in Oklahoma. Luckily, in 4,256 of the accidents, no one was injured. In 278 of those accidents, people were killed or incapacitated.
Why does Oklahoma have more accidents?
Although there are inspections conducted at Oklahoma’s ports of entry, many trucks are in violation of policy.
Last year, a total of 7,583 trucks were inspected at one of Oklahoma’s four ports. Of those inspected, 36% were pulled off the road for driver compliance issues or truck safety issues.
Possibly the most frightening factor is that only one in every 700 trucks passing a port of entry gets pulled for inspection. This means that thousands of trucks pass through without inspection.
If you were injured in a truck accident, you may face medical bills, lost wages, car damages and more. You can seek compensation if you were injured due to a person’s negligence.
