A Times investigation of federal transportation data for Lake and Porter counties in Indiana and 10 south suburban Chicago communities reveals information about truck accidents on heavily travelled roads in the region. The investigators revealed that 218 people died in truck accidents in the past nine years, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation records. Further it shows that an average of more than two semi-0trucks, busses and other heavy vehicles crashed each day between 2000 and 2008.

The analysis showed that the majority of crashes happen in good weather and during daylight hours. The drivers of both passenger vehicles and trucks are at fault in these crashes, with drivers of cars and other smaller vehicles underestimating the amount of time that a semi-truck needs to stop and performing dangerous manoeuvres in the vicinity of a truck. Driver fatigue appears to be a major cause of accidents resulting from truck driver errors.

Indiana State Police officers frequently check truckers' log books in their effort to catch drivers who may be at risk of an accident because of fatigue. They also check brakes and other equipment at regional weigh stations. They also conduct inspections on stretches of highway with historically high truck accidents, such as I-80 and I-94 around Gary, Indiana.

Another truck crash hotspot is I-80 and I-94 as it passes through Hammond. However, police efforts may be lowering the rate of truck accidents. A third common accident location is Thornton Township, with fewer accidents but more deaths than Hammond.

Indiana State Police statistics show that semi truck accidents in the region are down about 20 percent in 2011, a possible reflection of the success of law enforcement accident prevention efforts.

Source: NWITimes, "8,043 heavy truck crashes claim 218 lives on region roads over nine years", by Marc Chase, Nov. 27, 2011.