Truck-related traffic fatalities drop 20%, lowest level in recorded DOT history

The reduction is the lowest level in recorded Department of Transportation history and also shows a 33 percent decrease in fatalities since the improved hours-of-service regulations first became effective in January 2004. (The Trucker: KEVIN JONES)

The Trucker News Services

9/9/2010

WASHINGTON  –  The number of truck-involved traffic fatalities declined 20 percent in 2009, dropping from 4,245 in 2008 to 3,380 in 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Sept. 9.

The reduction is the lowest level in recorded Department of Transportation history and also shows a 33 percent decrease in fatalities since the generally current hours-of-service regulations first became effective in January 2004.

“This significant gain in commercial truck safety shows that ongoing enforcement efforts and our partnerships with state and local law enforcement are making a difference,” administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said. “Yet, FMCSA will not rest until there are zero commercial truck-related fatalities on our roads. We are committed to using every resource available to strengthen commercial truck safety and save lives.”    

With the assistance of the FMCSA through improved hours-of-service regulations that were first implemented in 2004, the trucking industry has seen dramatic drops in crash-related fatalities and injuries, and remarkably improved crash rates, Graves said.

“Greater rest opportunities for drivers under the 2004 hours-of-service rules and a more circadian-friendly approach to a driver’s work-rest cycle have helped truck drivers achieve these exceptional results,” he said.

In addition to the 20 percent reduction in crash fatalities involving large trucks, the number of truck occupant deaths decreased 26 percent in 2009, from 682 in 2008 to 503 in 2009. The number of truck occupants injured in truck-related crashes also declined 26 percent.

Those are the largest declines among all vehicle categories.

Graves said ATA would continue to support the current hours-of service rules, and will remain committed to advancing its highway safety agenda in an effort to further this outstanding trend. ATA’s 18-point safety agenda includes promoting greater safety belt use by commercial drivers, re-instituting a national maximum speed limit, improved truck crashworthiness standards, speed governing of all trucks, tax incentives for safety technologies, and a decade-long initiative to create a national clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results.

The overall number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States decreased 9.7 percent from 37,423 in 2008 to 33,808 in 2009, the lowest level since 1950. That record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities is especially remarkable because preliminary estimates show vehicle miles traveled in 2009 increased by 0.2 percent from 2008.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com.