| Data years | 2020-2024[1][2][3][4][5] |
|---|---|
| Route segment | I-40 in Tennessee[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020-2024 | 163[1][2][3][4][5] |
| All deaths on the route segment, 2020-2024 | 379[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Share of segment deaths in large-truck crashes | 43.0%[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Fatal crashes involving large trucks, 2020-2024 | 138[1][2][3][4][5] |
| 2024 data file | FARS Annual Report File[5] |
Fatal truck accidents assigned to I-40 in Tennessee accounted for 163 deaths from 2020 to 2024. Across all fatal crashes assigned to this route segment, 379 people died. Deaths in large-truck crashes represented 43.0% of those route deaths, and the segment recorded 138 fatal large-truck crashes. The death count includes everyone killed in these crashes, rather than only people occupying the large trucks. Deaths and fatal crashes are distinct measures in these corridor statistics.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
For I-40 in Tennessee, a truck accident means a fatal crash involving at least one large truck: a medium or heavy truck with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, excluding buses and motor homes. Assignment to the corridor uses crash-level route fields, requiring ROUTE=1 and a parseable I-route number in TWAY_ID. Those fields identify route signing and crash 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 Tennessee by year
Annual truck accident deaths on I-40 in Tennessee fell from 41 in 2020 to 39 in 2021, then to 27 in 2022 and 26 in 2023. The count rose to 30 in 2024. For deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020 was the highest year and 2023 was the lowest. The 2024 count remained below the 2020 and 2021 counts.[1][2][3][4][5]
All route deaths followed a different annual pattern: 87 in 2020, 86 in 2021, 62 in 2022, 71 in 2023 and 73 in 2024. The highest all-route count was in 2020; the lowest was in 2022. From 2022 to 2023, all route deaths rose while large-truck crash deaths fell. Both measures rose from 2023 to 2024, whose figures use the Annual Report File.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Deaths in large-truck crashes | All deaths on the route |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 41 | 87 |
| 2021 | 39 | 86 |
| 2022 | 27 | 62 |
| 2023 | 26 | 71 |
| 2024 | 30 | 73 |
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 Tennessee
Truck accident deaths assigned to I-40 in Tennessee occurred in 23 counties. Among the listed rows, Knox County had the highest count at 21 deaths, or 12.9%, followed by Shelby County with 19, or 11.7%. Madison County recorded 16 deaths, or 9.8%; Haywood County recorded 12, or 7.4%; and Davidson County recorded 10, or 6.1%.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Wilson County and Smith County each recorded 9 deaths and 5.5%. Jefferson County had 8 and 4.9%; Hickman County had 7 and 4.3%; Dickson County had 6 and 3.7%. These shares use the Tennessee segment's large-truck death total. County entries describe crash locations, not where the people who died lived.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| County | Deaths in large-truck crashes, 2020-2024 | Share of the route total in the state |
|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 21 | 12.9% |
| Shelby County | 19 | 11.7% |
| Madison County | 16 | 9.8% |
| Haywood County | 12 | 7.4% |
| Davidson County | 10 | 6.1% |
| Wilson County | 9 | 5.5% |
| Smith County | 9 | 5.5% |
| Jefferson County | 8 | 4.9% |
| Hickman County | 7 | 4.3% |
| Dickson County | 6 | 3.7% |
How the truck crashes on I-40 happened
Rear-end crashes accounted for 60 truck accident deaths, or 36.8%; angle crashes for 15, or 9.2%; sideswipes for 23, or 14.1%; and head-on crashes for 9, or 5.5%. Other accounted for 2 deaths, or 1.2%. Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" accounted for 54 deaths, or 33.1%. This means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, including events such as rollovers or striking parked vehicles. A vehicle stopped in traffic can be in transport.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Daytime recorded 85 deaths, or 52.1%; nighttime recorded 76, or 46.6%; time was not reported for 2, or 1.2%. Urban locations recorded 74 deaths, or 45.4%, and rural locations 89, or 54.6%. Work-zone deaths numbered 16. These I-40 Tennessee figures count deaths in large-truck crashes, rather than trucks or fatal crashes.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
I-40 in other states
Across I-40, 590 deaths in large-truck crashes were recorded across 8 states during 2020 to 2024. Tennessee's 163 deaths represented 27.6% of that route-wide count. The listed other state segments recorded 137 deaths in New Mexico, 88 in Arizona, 65 in Arkansas, 53 in Oklahoma and 38 in Texas.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Tennessee's large-truck death count exceeded each listed other state segment's count; Texas had the lowest count among those listed segments. The other-state table supplies a subset of segments; the route-wide total is supplied separately. These truck accident counts describe fatal crash locations, without adjustment for traffic exposure. They therefore cannot establish which I-40 segment has the highest risk per trip or mile.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
About these figures
For I-40 in Tennessee, FARS supplies fatal-only records, excluding nonfatal crashes and injuries. Its scope requires a motor vehicle on a trafficway customarily open to the public and a death within 30 days. Counts follow crash location, not residence. Crash-level ROUTE and TWAY_ID fields assign records to I-40 but do not establish its full geographic coverage.[8][6][7]
Large-truck involvement does not establish fault. A reader searching for a truck accident lawyer should read these Tennessee figures as location-based death counts. The 2020 to 2023 records are FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the Annual Report File, which remains revisable when NHTSA replaces it with the Final File. Truck accident deaths can include people who were not truck occupants.[8][6][7]
See also
- Tennessee 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 Knox County, Tennessee (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Shelby County, Tennessee (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Davidson County, Tennessee (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
- Truck accident statistics for Madison County, Tennessee (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