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Single-unit truck

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Single-unit truck truck accident data describe a vehicle category within NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The selection here consists of single-unit straight trucks or cab-chassis coded as body types 61 through 64, counted only when involved in fatal crashes. Across the United States, the supplied figures record 1,561 such trucks in 2024, alongside 5,218 large trucks in fatal crashes. These are vehicle counts, not counts of crashes or people killed. The 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and cover trucks involved in fatal crashes, not all truck accidents.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Contents

Official definition

The official definition comes from V16 NCSA Body Type in the FARS Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024. Attribute 61 identifies a single-unit straight truck or cab-chassis with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 to 19,500 lbs. Attribute 62 covers 19,501 to 26,000 lbs, attribute 63 covers GVWR over 26,000 lbs, and attribute 64 covers unknown GVWR. The manual lists these definitions as applicable since 2011. Operationally, the figures group body types 61 through 64 together, rather than reporting each weight-rating category separately.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures

The national illustrative series covers the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It records 1,406 single-unit straight trucks in fatal crashes in 2020, 1,643 in 2021, 1,783 in 2022, and 1,559 in 2023. Within the supplied years, 2022 has the highest count of single-unit straight trucks in fatal crashes. The accompanying large-truck column includes truck-tractors and other large-truck body types, so its scope is broader than the single-unit selection. Both columns measure vehicles involved in fatal crashes; neither supplies a population rate or a measure of travel exposure.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures[1][2][3][4][5]
YearSingle-unit straight trucks (body types 61-64) in fatal crashesLarge trucks in fatal crashes
20201,4064,821
20211,6435,733
20221,7835,873
20231,5595,382
20241,5615,218

United States, 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vehicle counts; the second column includes truck-tractors and other large-truck body types. 2024 is the FARS Annual Report File.

What the term does not tell you

Body types 61 through 64 do not include every large truck outside the truck-tractor category. The manual also provides categories for step vans, medium or heavy pickups, and unknown medium or heavy truck types. Its V16 description treats a single-unit truck towing another vehicle as a combination truck.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

A body code identifies the vehicle category without establishing crash circumstances or fault. Multiple selected trucks can be involved in the same crash, so truck totals cannot be read as crash totals. These figures cover trucks involved in fatal crashes and do not describe nonfatal crashes.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

On related publications

References

  1. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  2. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  3. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  4. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  5. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  6. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  7. abcde "Large trucks: 2024 data (DOT HS 813 816, June 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  8. abcde "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record