Another Safety Record Set

The trucking industry received some of the best news possible last week, when the federal government announced that the number of fatalities in truck-involved crashes nosedived 20% during 2009.

And results for last year represented the greatest year-over-year decline in history, compared with what was then the lowest level of fatalities in history, which was set in 2008.

Trucking-related highway deaths now have fallen for four consecutive years and have set three record lows during that time.

There were 3,380 deaths in truck-involved crashes last year, 865 fewer than had occurred in 2008. And the 2008 total was about 12% lower than the total in 2007.

These results are unmistakable evidence that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours-of-service rule that we have been living with in recent years is working well and needs to be retained.

“Greater rest opportunities for drivers under the 2005 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,” said Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations.

“These latest figures illustrate the trucking industry’s deep commitment to improving highway safety,” Graves said.

He vowed that ATA would continue to advance its safety program “to further this outstanding trend.”

We don’t know what other proof needs to be presented to the interest groups that have fought so hard to derail the hours-of-service rule to make them see the value of this rule.

If all parties to the debate over highway safety are striving to reduce deaths on our roadways, why are some of us trying mightily to cancel the very rule that has led to this unprecedented improvement in roadway safety?

The newly released results brought high praise from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who said his visit to ATA’s recent National Truck Driving Championships had convinced him of the industry’s commitment to safety.

After talking to fleet owners and drivers at the driving championships, he said he believes “safety really is their No. 1 priority.”

LaHood, who released the crash results last week, also said, “I don’t think the driving public . . . realizes that these truckers are well-trained and they do take safety as their top priority.”

Mr. Secretary, thanks for the kind words. We all need to do a better job getting the word out on how committed the trucking industry is to highway safety. Thanks for starting the ball rolling.