Rig-Wrecks is a weekly podcast about tractor-trailer accidents all over the USA. Most accidents according to DOT are caused by four wheeled vehicles but there are some times the Big Truck Driver is at fault.

This week we reviewed some accidents across the country that involved 18 wheelers. Some Flatbed some dry-van some reefer and some tank drivers make up this weeks Rig-Wrecks Segment..

One witness said traffic had slowed near Pearl and apparently the truck driver didn't see it until it was too late. The truck ran off the road, causing two vehicles to crash and fly through the air, the witness said. Two other vehicles also crashed and ended up running off the road. Rig-Wrecks can be very serious.

Some of the drivers were injured, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately known.

Emergency crews at the scene said it would take about an hour to clear the wreck.

Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,450 lives in 2016 alone. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. Get the facts, get involved, and help us keep America’s roads safe.

 USDOT Releases 2016 Fatal Traffic Crash Data

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today released fatal traffic crash data for calendar year 2016. According to NHTSA data, which was collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 37,461 lives were lost on U.S. roads in 2016, an increase of 5.6 percent from calendar year 2015.

The number of vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads in 2016 increased by 2.2 percent, and resulted in a fatality rate of 1.18 deaths per 100 million VMT – a 2.6-percent increase from the previous year.

NHTSA found that distracted driving and drowsy driving fatalities declined, while deaths related to other reckless behaviors – including speeding, alcohol impairment, and not wearing seat belts – continued to increase. Motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths accounted for more than a third of the year-to-year increase.

http://www.hazmatnation.com/tanker-http://www.hazmatnation.com/tanker-accident-northbridge-ma/-northbridge-ma/

The 2016 national data shows that:

* Distraction-related deaths (3,450 fatalities) decreased by 2.2 percent;

* Drowsy-driving deaths (803 fatalities) decreased by 3.5 percent;

* Drunk-driving deaths (10,497 fatalities) increased by 1.7 per­cent;

* Speeding-related deaths (10,111 fatalities) increased by 4.0 percent;

* Unbelted deaths (10,428 fatalities) increased by 4.6 percent;

* Motorcyclist deaths (5,286 fatalities – the largest number of motorcyclist fatalities since 2008) increased by 5.1 percent;

* Pedestrian deaths (5,987 fatalities – the highest number since 1990) increased by 9.0 percent; and

* Bicyclist deaths (840 fatalities – the highest number since 1991) increased by 1.3 percent.

https://patch.com/massachusetts/grafton/fuel-truck-down-embankment-northbridge-avoid-area