I suspect the 5-6% is the percentage of trucks (probably Class 3-8) in the vehicle mix on the highways. That sounds similar to typical vehicle mix figures for California urban areas. The actual number is almost always far less than the public perceptions.

 

I like Lee Maynus’s observations about digging deeper into the data. Things start to make sense then. For example, we see concentrations of side-swipe accidents in places where the freeways narrow due to fewer lanes.

 

The first thing to ask about the 22% of work zone fatalities involving heavy trucks is how many of those heavy trucks were involved in the work? You may have trucks entering or leaving the work site (e.g. dump trucks) involved in the accidents.

 

Dan Smith
Principal
The Tioga Group, Inc.

288 Rheem Blvd.
Moraga, CA 94556
(925) 631-0742

fax (925) 631-7936