FMCSA Officials Call for More Traffic Enforcement, Prevention as Truck and Bus Fatalities Rise
Van Steemburg“These aren’t just numbers,” said Daphne Jefferson, FMCSA deputy administrator. “These are husbands and wives, children, mothers and fathers.”
There were 4,337 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks and buses in 2015, the latest full data that have been made public and a 1.4% increase over 2014.
“While the number 4,337 is lower than it was 10 years past, say a decade ago, the recent trends are ticking up. Those numbers are way too high, and we need to continue to focus on bringing those numbers down.”
Speaking at a session of the Transportation Research Board 2017 Annual Meeting, Jack Van Steenburg, FMCSA chief safety officer, said agency officials and the industry need to focus on prevention.
Van Steenburg said that the high numbers are causing the agency to call on police to step up traffic enforcement, along with roadside inspections.
“We need to slow the truck drivers down,” he said.
“We encourage law enforcement to conduct traffic enforcement,” Van Steenburg added. “Our research shows that traffic enforcement tied with inspections saves a lot more lives than just an inspection.”
