Truck accident statistics for Benton County, Arkansas (2020-2024)

Truck accident deaths in Benton County by year

Annual truck accident deaths were 7 in 2020, 7 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 7 in 2023 and 4 in 2024. The highest count, 7, occurred in 2020, 2021 and 2023. The lowest count was 3 in 2022. The 2024 count was 3 deaths lower than the 2020 count. The average was 5.6 deaths per year.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The corresponding shares of all traffic deaths were 20.0% in 2020, 20.0% in 2021, 11.1% in 2022, 26.9% in 2023 and 14.8% in 2024. Although 2020, 2021 and 2023 had equal truck accident death counts, 2023 had the highest share. All traffic deaths numbered 35, 35, 27, 26 and 27 in those respective years.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.

Who died in Benton County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 8 deaths, or 28.6%. People in other vehicles accounted for 19 deaths, or 67.9%, the largest person category. These categories describe the people killed in truck accidents, rather than the number of trucks or fatal crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The row "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" accounted for 1 death, or 3.6%. This is the FARS nonoccupant grouping, including pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. The category can include occupants of parked motor vehicles, so its label is not a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

Fatal crashes in Benton County involved 23 large trucks during 2020 through 2024. Truck-tractors (semi or tractor-trailer units) numbered 8, representing 34.8% of those trucks. Single-unit and other large trucks numbered 15. The count of large trucks recorded as jackknifed was 0.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

These figures count vehicles involved in fatal crashes. They do not count deaths, and a truck accident can involve multiple large trucks. The separate fatal crash count was 23, while the death count was 28. The matching truck and fatal crash counts remain distinct measures; the truck-tractor share uses large trucks as its denominator.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

Counts are trucks, not crashes. One crash can involve more than one large truck.

How the fatal truck crashes happened

Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Angle (side impact) accounted for 9 deaths (32.1%), head-on for 4 (14.3%), rear-end for 1 (3.6%) and sideswipe for 3 (10.7%). "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" accounted for 11 deaths (39.3%). That row means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport; examples include a pedestrian strike, a parked-vehicle strike or a rollover. A vehicle stopped in traffic can be in transport.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separately, truck accident deaths by crash configuration were single-vehicle, 6 (21.4%); two-vehicle, 19 (67.9%); and three or more vehicles, 3 (10.7%). Configuration counts vehicles involved rather than describing the first harmful event.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate truck accident deaths numbered 4, or 14.3%. The listed route-coded counts were 2 deaths on I-49 and 2 on I-549. These figures require the interstate route classification and a parseable interstate route number; the listed routes represent the packet's route-coded subset rather than a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime, from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., accounted for 20 deaths (71.4%). Nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., accounted for 8 (28.6%). Urban locations recorded 18 deaths (64.3%), and rural locations recorded 10 (35.7%). Work-zone deaths numbered 2; that figure counts people killed, not trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with Arkansas and the United States

The Benton County truck accident death rate was 1.8 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Arkansas recorded 3.3, and the United States recorded 1.6. The county rate was lower than the state rate and higher than the national rate. The corresponding death counts were 28 for Benton County, 510 for Arkansas and 27,553 nationally. The supplied figures contain no rates for listed neighboring counties.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

These population-based rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. They describe deaths by crash location using population estimates, not deaths restricted to county residents. For readers searching for a truck accident lawyer, the same grouping applies: these counts identify where crashes happened.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.

About these figures

FARS is NHTSA's census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Inclusion requires a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and an occupant or nonoccupant death within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. County grouping follows crash location, not residence.^[9][6][7][8]

Data for 2020 through 2023 use FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the Annual Report File and may change with its Final File replacement. Rates divide 2020 through 2024 deaths by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, then multiply by 100,000. The separate July 1, 2024 population estimate is not the denominator. Rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.^[9][6][7][8]