The Chances Of Dying As An Ice Road Trucker Might Surprise You
"Ice Road Truckers" has been a consistently popular reality TV offering for History Channel (via Parrot Analytics). Since 2007, the series has been taking viewers into the intense and occasionally life-threatening world of driving a rig down some of the most dangerous roads imaginable, often under harrowing weather conditions.
While the labor industry, in general, has more risk of injury and deaths than a retail or desk job might (via Construct Connect), being a truck driver can be particularly dangerous, especially with unexpected weather events on the rise due to climate change (via EPA).
Though truckers like Darrell Ward died tragically in ways that had nothing to do with their occupation, working in transport can be a perilous occupation, even on the best days (via Bureau of Labor Statistics). Since the world of "Ice Road Truckers" is so rife with danger, viewers might find themselves wondering how often the job can be fatal.
Ice Road Truckers lose equipment more often than drivers
Alex Debogorski of "Ice Road Truckers" sat down with Profiles to talk about the dangers of the job, and he had some sobering estimates about the fatality rate of driving those roads, even when truckers are unfortunate enough to go through the ice. "Chances are very good. You generally lose more equipment than you do lives," Debogorski said.
Though it may be somewhat surprising to imagine drivers whose rigs go through the ice in remote locations can come out relatively unscathed, Debogorski was adamant that many truckers survive the plunge into the icy waters. "We've probably lost in Northern Canada somewhere in the vicinity of 50 men in over 35 or 40 years," Debogorski estimated. Concerning equipment like trucks and trailers, though, the odds are much worse. "We've probably lost triple that [in equipment]," he went on.
Though semi-trucks and trailers can be incredibly expensive, surely anyone would agree that it's better to lose a piece of equipment than it is to lose a human life. After all, the equipment can always be rebuilt. Still, like with horror movies, most viewers are probably more than happy to experience the dangers of "Ice Road Truckers" from the safety and comfort of their homes.