What Are Truck-Only Lanes?

When a lane is designated for “trucks only,” it is solely intended for large trucks. The purpose of a truck-only lane is to separate these heavy vehicles from other passenger cars on the road. Doing so helps minimize the risk of a catastrophic truck accident occurring.

How Truck-Only Lanes Work

Many states restrict which lanes trucks can travel in, but truck-only lanes are not very common. A truck-only lane is often separated from the rest of the highway. There are typically black-and-white signs that indicate it is only for large trucks so that commercial carriers can travel alone. If a truck driver ignores the sign and drives outside of a truck-only lane, they may be susceptible to fines and other penalties.

The idea for truck-only lanes in Nevada has been put out there, but a bill has not passed. A major drawback is how to fund the construction of these lanes. However, Nevada does have a law mandating drivers to remain in the far right lane if they are moving at a slow enough speed to impede the forward movement of traffic. Additionally, Nevada enacted Assembly Bill No. 334 in 2017, making it illegal for a vehicle to travel in the far left lane if they are driving under the speed limit.

Benefits of a Truck-Only Lane

Separating large trucks from other motorists can improve safety. Thousands of motorists are killed or injured each year in truck accidents. In 2019, approximately 4,479 fatal crashes and 114,000 collisions caused injuries. When trucks and passenger vehicles share lanes, it is simply dangerous. If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a truck accident, a Las Vegas truck accident attorney from Harris & Harris Injury Lawyers can help.

Similar to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, a truck-only lane may also make the roads less congested. As a result, truck drivers can set their own safe pace and get to their destinations more efficiently.

Truck Accident Statistics

Here is a summary of some of the crash data for 2019 involving large trucks:

• Approximately 510,000 police-reported crashes involved large trucks.
• There were 13.65 fatal large truck accidents per million people in the U.S., which was a 29% increase from 2010.
• There were 4,479 (1%) fatal crashes and 114,000 (29%) injury crashes.
• In 91% of fatal crashes, there was one fatality, and the majority (82%) were not occupants of the large truck.
• The majority (62%) of fatal large truck crashes involved two vehicles.
• 21% of all fatal crashes and 14% of all injury crashes were single-vehicle accidents (including those involving bicyclists, pedestrians, non-motorized vehicles, etc.).
• Fatal crashes most often occurred in rural areas (57%) and on Interstate highways (25%).
• 36% of all fatal crashes and 22% of all injury accidents occurred at night between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am.
• The vast majority of fatal accidents (83%) and nonfatal crashes (86%) occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
• 33% of work zone fatal accidents and 14% of work zone injury crashes involved at least one large truck.
• Rollovers occurred in 4% of fatal accidents and 2% of all other crashes involving large trucks.