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CMV and work vehicle safety ranked by state

The fleet management systems provider Verizon Connect has recently analyzed driving behaviors from more than 6,200 of its fleet customers between October 2015 and September 2017. After considering factors like the number of fatalities per mile driven and speeding events per day, it has been able to rank the safest, as well as the least safe, states for commercial motor vehicle and work vehicle drivers. Missouri residents may be intrigued by the results.

The fleet customers analyzed were comprised mostly of small and midsize businesses with anywhere from two to 200 trucks, including big rigs, light vans and pickups. The safest states were all located on the East Coast. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New York formed the top five. The most dangerous states were in the upper Midwest and the South: Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kentucky, Mississippi and so on.

Drivers were found speeding most often in South Dakota whereas Vermont, Virginia and Connecticut saw the least instances of lead foot. Harsh acceleration, braking and cornering, among other factors, made Utah the state with the least safe drivers. North Dakota had the safest.

Not all truck accidents are caused by the truckers. Submissions from truckers to a contest held by the Teletrac Navman gave vent to various complaints. Among them were complaints about drivers speeding, cutting off trucks and giving them too little space.

In the event that a truck collision is caused by the trucker, victims can file a third-party insurance claim against the trucking company. This will entail negotiations with the company’s team of lawyers, so victims will want legal representation of their own. A lawyer could hire investigators to build up the case with proof like the police report and the trucker’s work log. Medical experts could also determine the extent of the victim’s injuries so that the maximum amount can be obtained.