Commercial vehicle crashes on the rise in Missouri

The number of deadly crashes involving commercial motor vehicles rose by more than 40 percent in three years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

In 2016, there were 119 crashes across the state involving commercial motor vehicles such as semis or dump trucks. That is up from 84 in 2013.

The upward trend over the past few years may be due to more vehicles on the roads, according to Angie Hoecker, the MoDOT commercial motor vehicle manager.

“The economy is improving, lower gas prices,” Hoecker said. “And then along with that, when you get that many more cars out there, you have that much more potential for bad driving behavior, which leads to crashes.”

ABC 17 News has covered several deadly crashes involving semis in recent years, including a deadly wreck on Route B in northeast Columbia in May 2015.

The driver of the other vehicle, Nicole Weddington, caused the crash and was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

MoDOT said it is often the case that the CMV drivers are not to blame.

“About 65 percent of the time, those crashes are caused by the motorists of the vehicles or the pedestrians or the bicyclists,” Hoecker said.

Hoecker said drivers can help reduce these crashes by simply paying attention when driving near a big rig.

“When you’re traveling with them, stay out of their no-zone,” Hoecker said. “If you can’t see their mirrors, they can’t see you. If you do feel a need to pass them, get alongside them and then make sure that you can see both of their headlights in your rear-view mirror before you merge back into the driving lane.”