Pickup Trucks Are More Dangerous Than Other Vehicles

Car Accident

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As Texans, we love our pickup trucks. In fact, they are practically a way of life. Statistics, however, relay that pickup trucks are involved in some of the most serious accidents on our roads. While their size and weight tend to make occupants of pickups feel safer, this increased safety is not borne out by the facts. No matter what kind of vehicle you drive, always make driving safely your top priority.

Texas Accident Statistics

The Texas Department of Transportation shares several 2018 statistics that relate to the body type of vehicles involved in serious and fatal accidents (passenger cars, SUVs, pickups, and the like), and the information provided is sobering. This includes:

  • In rural settings, fatal accidents involving pickup trucks surpassed every other kind of traffic fatality, including those involving SUVs, cars, commercial trucks, motorcycles, buses, and more.
  • In urban settings, fatal pickup accidents are second only to passenger car accidents.
  • In injuries that lead to serious accidents, those involving pickup trucks are a fairly close second to passenger cars in rural settings and are third only to passenger cars and SUVs in urban settings.

To help put all of this in perspective, it is important to recognize that only about a quarter of the vehicles registered to drivers in Texas are pickup trucks (according to compare.com), and yet, they hold their own when it comes to accident involvement.

Pickups Have Lower Safety Ratings

Pickups have a lot to offer, but they simply do not measure up with cars and SUVs when it comes to occupant safety. Pickups are designed for hauling heavy loads, which means that their frames are – by necessity – more rigid. A side effect of this is that the trucks’ frames do not provide the same degree of protection as cars’ crumple zones do in an accident. These crumple zones are designed to help absorb some of the energy generated by the impact of the accident in order to help protect occupants of the vehicle.

In the 2019 ratings forwarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, every top-ranked car and SUV received top marks in every safety category, but not one of the five top-ranking pickups managed to do so. While a rough and tough pickup can help you get those big jobs done, many people who have no such tasks to perform still prefer to drive pickups. The fact is, however, that these large vehicles simply cannot keep up with cars and SUVs in terms of safety.

Injured in a Pickup Crash? Consult with an Experienced Attorney Today

If another motorist’s negligence leaves you injured in a pickup truck accident, attorney Brett Pritchard is committed to aggressively advocating for compensation that covers your damages in their entirety. The formidable legal team at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard in Killeen, Texas, is committed to helping you find the legal answers you need. For answers to any of your questions, please do not hesitate to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.

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