Owing to extreme and unpredictable weather, including high winds, sudden snowstorms and low visibility, particularly along the Interstate 80 corridor, the Cowboy State has again earned the dubious distinction from a safety watchdog as the nation’s deadliest place for truck crashes.
The Truck Safety Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, released its annual list of the 12 worst states for truck fatalities Monday based on the most recent data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
And just like last year, Wyoming, with seven fatalities per 100,000 population, sits atop the list, followed by New Mexico, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Idaho, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, and Alabama.
Federal Regulations
According to the NHTSA, there were nearly 5,500 truck crash fatalities and more than 150,000 injuries during the survey period, a 69% increase since 2009.
The coalition has urged lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Transportation to take a common-sense approach in making highways safer.
One recommendation calls on Congress to provide greater incentives for carriers to comply with existing laws requiring truckers to be tested for drugs and alcohol following a fatal crash. Currently, more than 40% of regulated carriers disregard that requirement, the coalition said.
Kevin Hawley, president of the Wyoming Trucking Association, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that the coalition ranking does not accurately reflect the state’s trucking environment because it relies on a per capita measure.
“In a rural state like Wyoming, with one of the smallest populations but some of the highest truck miles traveled per capita in the nation, even a small number of crashes can dramatically skew the results,” Hawley said in an email. “This makes Wyoming appear ‘deadlier’ than larger states with far higher crash totals.”
The Gauntlet
Interstate 80, dubbed "The Gauntlet" by truckers, stretches 400 miles from Evanston in the west to Pine Bluffs in the east, and is the state’s most dangerous highway.
Three people died in February in a spectacular 26-vehicle crash in the westbound lane of the Green River Tunnel that sparked an explosion and fire. Of the vehicles involved, 16 were commercial and 10 passenger, according to a Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Highway Patrol report.
No one has been charged in connection with the crash under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Also in February near Green River, a semitruck failed to navigate a curve and collided with a Honda Odyssey, killing two people inside the vehicle.
Less than two weeks ago, one person was killed when a semitrailer plowed into another truck parked on the shoulder of eastbound I-80 near Arlington. The driver of the first truck faces felony charges.
Additionally, on Sept. 11, 46-year-old trucker Saviol Saint Jean was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated assault, and not moving over for emergency vehicles, in a 2022 crash on I-80 near Rawlins, plowing into an ambulance, killing one EMT and permanently injuring another.
His truck was traveling at 47-60 mph when it hit the ambulance, according to court testimony.
Weather Factors
A recent review of Wyoming crash data showed that 90% of commercial motor vehicle crashes on I-80 involve non-Wyoming resident drivers, and 78% of those crashes happened during inclement weather, Hawley said.
“This suggests that greater outreach and education for non-Wyoming companies could help prepare drivers for the unique conditions they may have never experienced before and are likely to face here,” he said. “80-mile-per-hour winds may be considered hurricane strength in Florida—but in Wyoming, that can be just another Tuesday in winter.”
Additionally, an abundance of rural roads in Wyoming and longer emergency response times can contribute to higher fatality outcomes when crashes occur, said Hawley.
The Wyoming Trucking Association partners with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Department of Transportation, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to provide driver training, education, and address safety issues.
“Every crash is one too many, and our members continue to invest in training, technology, and safety culture,” he added. “But it is important to understand the context — Wyoming is not experiencing a surge in fatalities, and our trucking companies are committed to continuous improvement. The per capita math used in this report (from the coalition) does not tell the full story.”
Scott Schwebke can be reached at scott@cowboystatedaily.com.
