Fatal Crashes, Fatalities Involving Large Trucks Declined From 2013 to 2014, FMCSA Says
The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes decreased in 2014 by 5%, to 3,744 from 3,921 in 2013, according to a report released April 15 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The total number of fatalities involving large trucks and buses declined 2.7%, to 4,161 in 2014 from 4,278 in 2013.
The declines in the number of truck-involved fatal crashes and fatalities occurred despite an increase of 4 billion miles traveled by trucks over the same period, from 275 billion to 279 billion, the report said.
“It is a tragedy whenever there is a fatality on our highways, but the trucking industry is pleased to see that it is a tragedy that fewer and fewer Americans are experiencing,” American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said.
“While the one-year decline being reported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is positive, the long-term trend is of paramount importance, and that trend is impressive. The number of crashes involving large trucks had fallen 39% since 2004 and, while there is much more to do, that is a figure our professional drivers, our safety directors, our technicians and our safety partners in federal and state law enforcement can be proud of,” said Graves.
The rate of large trucks involved in fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks — declined in 2014 by 6%, to 1.34 from 1.43 in 2013, the agency said in its “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts, 2014” report.
However, the report said the number of large trucks involved in injury crashes increased by 21% to 88,000 in 2014 from 73,000 in 2013, and the large-truck-involvement rate in injury crashes also increased by 21% over the same period.
The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes increased by 31% to 346,000 in 2014 from 265,000 in 2013, which the large-truck-involvement rate in property damage only crashes increased by 29%.
The information in the report was compiled by FMCSA’s analysis division, and the major sources of data came from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System and the Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File, the agency said.
