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12/15/06 Large-Truck Accident Injuries and Fatalities Drop in ‘05
According to preliminary statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2005 saw a minor decline in the number of fatalities resulting from large-truck crashes, from 5,235 in 2004 to 5,212 in 2005. There were also 2,000 fewer injuries from large-truck related crashes in 2005 than there were in 2004, a significant reduction of 1.7%.
The new figures show that the fatal crash rate for large trucks (class 3-8, 10,001 pounds or more) was 2.03 crashes for every 100 million vehicle-miles traveled in 2005. That number is the same as it was for 2004. Initially it had been thought that that the 2004 rate was 1.96, which would have been an all time low. However after review, NHTSA raised the 2004 fatal crash rate to 2.03 due to a reduction in the number of miles driven and an increase in the number of fatalities. (The fatal crash rate is defined by the DOT as the number of crashes per 100 million miles driven by large trucks.)
In terms of total numbers, in 2005 there were 442,000 large trucks involved in reportable accidents in the U.S. Accidents that resulted in injuries involved 82,000 large trucks, while those that resulted in fatalities involved 4,932 large trucks. Texas, California and Florida remained as the States with the highest number of large trucks involved in fatal accidents with 427, 356, and 347 involved trucks respectively.
Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the total vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,932 large trucks involved in fatal crashes 74 percent were combination trucks.
Though the accident rate for 2005 remained the same as 2004, the total number of vehicles operating in the U.S. continues to increase. The number of registered motor vehicles in the U.S. increased by almost 4 million in 2005, to 241,193,947.
The number of fatal accidents involving trucks actually rose in 2005 to 4,932, up from the 2004 number of 4,862. However the fatality rate, which is defined as the rate of fatalities per 100 million miles driven by large trucks, decreased to 2.34. That represents a reduction from the revised 2004 figure of 2.37 deaths per 100 million miles driven.
The fatal crash rate statistics can be combined with a report that was released last year by NHTSA entitled “Contrasting Rural and Urban Fatal Crashes: 1994-2003” to give an overall view of the circumstances that characterize truck related accidents throughout the United States. Among the findings of the NHTSA reports;
- 42% more fatal crashes occurred on rural roads than on urban roads, even though rural roads account for less vehicle miles traveled than urban roads.
- Smaller trucks were involved in 10% of fatal crashes in rural areas and only 6% in urban areas.
- Rural roads with speed limits posted at 55 mph and urban streets posted at 35 mph are the deadliest of all roads, accounting for more fatal crashes than roads with any other speed limits.
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66% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas, 67% during the daytime, (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.), and 80% on weekdays.
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84.6% of fatal accidents occur in “normal” (no precipitation) weather conditions.
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29.7% of fatal truck accidents occur on State highways, 24.5% on U.S. highways, and 25.8% on Interstate highways.
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In 9.2% of fatal truck accidents, the other involved vehicle crossed the center line of the road and struck the truck head on.
Industry experts attributed the steady fatal crash rate to a number of factors including expanded educational efforts aimed at teaching non-truck drivers how to safely share the road with large trucks. Traffic enforcement has also played a part in targeting vehicles operating unsafely around large trucks.
The 2005 figures released by NHTSA are preliminary and subject to change. Figures that require a “vehicle-miles traveled” numerical value are estimated, as the DOT has not yet determined those final figures. Some of last year’s figures changed substantially between the release of preliminary data and the final numbers. It is possible that significant revisions will be made to these preliminary figures.
(The release of preliminary numbers has recently become a topic of discussion within the trucking community. Dave Osiecki, vice president of safety, security and operations for American Trucking Associations, said that ATA was “beginning to question the value” of releasing preliminary data at all, since that data is almost always revised down the line.
NHTSA and the DOT acknowledge that preliminary data are sometimes incomplete and subject to change. The cover page of Traffic Safety Facts 2005 specifically addresses the issue; “Instead of withholding the entire report until those data are available, this Early Edition is produced to allow customers access to the statistics that are currently available.”) | 
