Truck Safety Coalition Releases Annual Deadliest States Report
News related to:Truck Safety Coalition · 2 min read
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The Truck Safety Coalition has released its annual "Deadliest Truck Crash States" report, highlighting the states with the highest rates of large truck crash fatalities. The report, which analyzed data from 2024, identified New Mexico as the state with the highest rate of truck crash fatalities per 100,000 population, followed by Wyoming, Mississippi, South Dakota, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Representative Dan Hageman of Wyoming echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the need for stricter safety measures.
The report, generated by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), revealed that large truck crashes resulted in over 5,300 deaths and more than 160,000 injuries in the United States. Since 2009, truck crash deaths have increased by 58%.
Tami Friedrich, President of the Truck Safety Coalition, called for urgent action.
The Truck Safety Coalition, a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.), organized a Sorrow to Strength Conference in Washington, DC. At the conference, truck crash victims and survivors from across the country urged lawmakers and the Department of Transportation to implement common-sense solutions to reduce truck crash fatalities. These solutions include:
1. Passing H.R. 7359, the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act, to address the issue of chameleon carriers. 2. Requiring Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) to maintain an audit log of all changes made to the records and obtaining third-party certification before being added to FMCSA's approved ELD Registry List. 3. Completing Congressionally-mandated rulemaking requiring Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) on all newly manufactured classes of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). 4. Passing the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2025 (H.R. 758). 5. Compelling FMCSA to require new motor carriers to pass a knowledge exam proving they can implement Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). 6. Removing deadly, unsafe truck drivers from the road by updating CDL disqualification requirements and prohibiting those found criminally negligent for causing a fatality with a CMV from driving large trucks. 7. Providing stronger consequences for carriers who avoid complying with existing federal requirements that stipulate truck drivers must be tested for drugs and alcohol following a fatal crash.
The report underscores the ongoing challenge of truck safety in the United States and highlights the need for comprehensive reforms to address the issue. The Truck Safety Coalition remains committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes and supporting the families of truck crash victims.