If you are the type who likes your good news before your bad news, the good news is that Texas is not number one when it comes to the highest number of truck accidents where someone is killed. More good news is traffic deaths nationwide were down 3 percent in 2013.

But the bad news is the Lone Star State is in the top 10, coming in at number 6 in traffic deaths involving large trucks for 2013. Texas also leads in the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks or 18-wheelers nationwide. With 4,607 fatal car crashes over all last year, 543 of those wrecks involved large trucks.

Those bleak numbers highlight the need for safety and awareness on the roads, especially in major cities like Dallas where many trucks pass through. The expertise of Dallas truck accident attorneys Kirkendall Dwyer LLP is key in situations where a motorist needs to know his options.

Overall, the number of car wrecks involving large trucks with fatalities increased by 18 percent between 2009 and 2012, even though the number of large trucks registered nationwide has gone down. The gap in those statistics seems to point to a need for more safety precautions.

Here is the top 10 list of states where people are statistically likely to die in a truck accident:

1. North Dakota – 20.2 percent
2. Wyoming – 16.8
3. Nebraska – 14.7
4. Iowa – 13.2
5. Oklahoma – 13.1
6. Texas – 11.8
7. Arkansas – 11.5
8. Kansas – 11
9. Louisiana – 10.7
10. West Virginia – 10.4

These statistics have sparked an awareness of fatal large truck accidents and what causes them. If you are involved in a truck accident involving an 18-wheeler and need help, please contact Kirkendall Dwyer LLP at 877-503-1595.