| Data years | 2020-2024[1][2][3][4][5] |
|---|---|
| Route segment | I-40 in North Carolina[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020-2024 | 34[1][2][3][4][5] |
| All deaths on the route segment, 2020-2024 | 220[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Share of segment deaths in large-truck crashes | 15.5%[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Fatal crashes involving large trucks, 2020-2024 | 30[1][2][3][4][5] |
| 2024 data file | FARS Annual Report File[5] |
I-40 in North Carolina recorded 34 deaths in large-truck crashes during 2020 to 2024, accounting for 15.5% of the route's 220 deaths in the state. Those large-truck deaths occurred in 30 fatal crashes. The truck accident death count includes everyone killed in those crashes, rather than only people occupying large trucks. These figures describe fatal crashes assigned to the North Carolina segment through the route information recorded for each crash.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
For these I-40 statistics in North Carolina, a truck accident means a fatal crash involving at least one medium or heavy truck with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds. Buses and motor homes are excluded. Assignment requires ROUTE=1 and a parseable I-route number in TWAY_ID, the crash's trafficway identifier. These crash-level fields identify route signing and location; they do not describe the highway's full geographic extent.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
I-40 truck accident deaths in North Carolina by year
Annual truck accident deaths on I-40 in North Carolina fell from 10 in 2020 to 7 in 2021 and 3 in 2022. The count then rose to 9 in 2023 before falling to 5 in 2024. For deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020 was the highest year and 2022 was the lowest. The 2023 count was below 2020 but above 2021.[1][2][3][4][5]
All-route deaths followed a different annual sequence: 48 in 2020, 38 in 2021, 33 in 2022, 48 in 2023 and 53 in 2024. The highest all-route count occurred in 2024, while the lowest occurred in 2022. The all-route counts for 2020 and 2023 were equal. Both death measures declined from 2020 through 2022, then increased in 2023.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Deaths in large-truck crashes | All deaths on the route |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10 | 48 |
| 2021 | 7 | 38 |
| 2022 | 3 | 33 |
| 2023 | 9 | 48 |
| 2024 | 5 | 53 |
Crashes are placed on the route by the trafficway identifier recorded for each fatal crash. 2024 is the Annual Report File.
Counties along I-40 in North Carolina
Truck accident deaths assigned to I-40 in North Carolina occurred in 14 counties. Among the listed rows, Iredell County and Wake County shared the highest count, each with 6 deaths and 17.6% of the state segment's total. Buncombe County recorded 4 deaths, or 11.8%, followed by Burke County with 3 deaths, or 8.8%.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Durham County, Guilford County, Forsyth County, Duplin County and Johnston County each recorded 2 deaths and 5.9%. Haywood County had the lowest count among the listed rows, with 1 death and 2.9%. These county figures locate fatal truck accident deaths by the recorded crash location, not by the residence of the people killed.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| County | Deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020-2024 | Share of the route total in the state |
|---|---|---|
| Iredell County | 6 | 17.6% |
| Wake County | 6 | 17.6% |
| Buncombe County | 4 | 11.8% |
| Burke County | 3 | 8.8% |
| Durham County | 2 | 5.9% |
| Guilford County | 2 | 5.9% |
| Forsyth County | 2 | 5.9% |
| Duplin County | 2 | 5.9% |
| Johnston County | 2 | 5.9% |
| Haywood County | 1 | 2.9% |
How the truck crashes on I-40 happened
Rear-end crashes accounted for 14 truck accident deaths on I-40 in North Carolina, or 41.2%. Angle (side impact) crashes accounted for 1 death and 2.9%; sideswipe crashes, 3 and 8.8%; and head-on crashes, 2 and 5.9%. The row "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" also recorded 14 deaths and 41.2%. It means the first harmful event was not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport. Examples include striking a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle or fixed object, or a rollover. Vehicles stopped in traffic can be in transport.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Daytime recorded 18 deaths and 52.9%, compared with nighttime's 16 and 47.1%. Urban locations recorded 15 deaths and 44.1%; rural locations recorded 19 and 55.9%. Work-zone deaths numbered 6. These truck accident figures count people killed, rather than trucks involved or fatal crashes, across the supplied classifications.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
I-40 in other states
Across 8 states with deaths recorded on I-40, large-truck crashes accounted for 590 deaths during 2020 to 2024. North Carolina's 34 deaths represented 5.8% of that separately supplied route-wide total. The listed other state segments provide comparisons within this route, rather than a complete accounting of its truck accident deaths.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Tennessee recorded 163 deaths in large-truck crashes, New Mexico 137, Arizona 88, Arkansas 65 and Oklahoma 53. Tennessee had the highest count among the listed rows. Each listed other state segment recorded a higher count than North Carolina. These truck accident counts are not traffic-adjusted risk rankings and cannot establish relative risk per trip or mile on I-40.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
About these figures
The I-40 North Carolina truck accident figures come from NHTSA's FARS, a census limited to fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Inclusion requires a motor vehicle on a trafficway customarily open to the public and a death within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. Recorded crash locations determine state and county counts; large-truck involvement does not establish fault.[8][6][7]
For I-40 in North Carolina, crash-level route signing and trafficway identifiers govern assignment, with no claim to full highway coverage. Readers searching for a truck accident lawyer should distinguish these location-based deaths from residence counts. FARS Final Files supply 2020 to 2023; the 2024 Annual Report File remains revisable when NHTSA replaces it with the Final File.[8][6][7]
See also
- North Carolina truck accident statistics (2020-2024)
- I-40 truck accidents in Arizona (2020-2024)
- I-40 truck accidents in Arkansas (2020-2024)
- I-40 truck accidents in New Mexico (2020-2024)
On related publications
- Truck accident statistics for Guilford County, North Carolina (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Wake County, North Carolina (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Johnston County, North Carolina (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Duplin County, North Carolina (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
References
- abcdefghijklmnopqrst "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrst "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrst "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrst "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghij "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcd "Large trucks: 2024 data (DOT HS 813 816, June 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- ab "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record