Truck accident statistics for Berks County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024)

Truck accident deaths in Berks County by year

Truck accident deaths rose from 2 in 2020 to 11 in 2021, then fell to 5 in 2022. The count rose to 6 in 2023 and 7 in 2024. The highest count was 11 in 2021, and the lowest was 2 in 2020. The 2024 count was 5 deaths higher than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The corresponding shares of all traffic deaths were 5.4% in 2020, 23.9% in 2021, 10.6% in 2022, 11.8% in 2023 and 14.9% in 2024. All traffic deaths numbered 37, 46, 47, 51 and 47, respectively. The highest year for all traffic deaths was 2023, while the highest year for truck accident deaths was 2021.^{[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 Berks County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 3 deaths, or 9.7%. People in other vehicles accounted for 22 deaths, or 71.0%, the largest person category for Berks County truck accident deaths during 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The row "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" records 6 deaths, or 19.4%. This is the FARS nonoccupant grouping, including pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. The other category can include occupants of parked motor vehicles. The label therefore should not be read as a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

The vehicle count for fatal truck accidents in Berks County was 30 large trucks during 2020 through 2024. Truck-tractors (semi or tractor-trailer units) numbered 19, representing 63.3% of those trucks. Single-unit and other large trucks numbered 11. The count of large trucks recorded as jackknifed was 1.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

Each figure in the trucks table counts vehicles, rather than crashes or deaths. A fatal crash can involve multiple large trucks, so the 30 trucks and the 27 fatal crashes describe different measures. The jackknife figure also counts trucks, rather than people killed.^{[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. Truck accident deaths were recorded as Angle (side impact), 3; Head-on, 7; Rear-end, 10; Sideswipe, 3; and Other, 1. "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" recorded 7 deaths. It means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, with examples including a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle, fixed object or rollover. A vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separately, crash configuration assigns 6 deaths, or 19.4%, to single-vehicle crashes; 18, or 58.1%, to two-vehicle crashes; and 7, or 22.6%, to crashes involving three or more vehicles. These shares describe vehicle configuration rather than manner of collision.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate-coded truck accident deaths numbered 10, or 32.3%. The listed route counts were 9 deaths on I-78 and 1 on I-176. These figures require interstate route coding and a parseable interstate route number; the listed routes are a coded subset, not a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime, from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., accounted for 18 deaths, or 58.1%. Nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., accounted for 13 deaths, or 41.9%. Urban locations recorded 15 deaths, or 48.4%, and rural locations recorded 16, or 51.6%. Work-zone truck accident deaths numbered 3; that measure counts deaths rather than trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

Berks County's truck accident death rate was 1.4 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Pennsylvania's rate was 1.3, and the national rate was 1.6. The county rate was higher than the state rate and lower than the national rate.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, Lancaster County recorded 1.8, Lehigh County 1.4, Schuylkill County 3.5 and Montgomery County 0.6. Schuylkill County had the highest rate among the listed neighboring counties, and Montgomery County had the lowest. These rates use annual population estimates and do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. When reading with "truck accident lawyer" in mind, keep the grouping clear: the deaths are assigned by crash location.^{[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 a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes on trafficways customarily open to the public, with an occupant or nonoccupant death within 30 days. It excludes nonfatal crashes and injuries. County counts follow crash location, not where those killed lived. Data for 2020 through 2023 are Final Files; 2024 uses the Annual Report File and may be revised.^[9][6][7][8]

Rates divide 2020 through 2024 deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, then multiply by 100,000. This yields average annual deaths per 100,000 residents without adjustment for miles driven or visitors. The separate July 1, 2024 population estimate of 438,379 is not the rate denominator.^[9][6][7][8]

See also

• Truck accident statistics for Chester County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Lebanon County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024)

On related publications

• Car accident statistics for Berks County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024) (caraccidentlawyers.wiki)