NHTSA Soon to Issue 2012 Crash Data, Including Truck-Involved Fatality Figures

This story appears in the Nov. 11 print edition of Transport Topics.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will soon release data on 2012 truck-involved crashes, as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a further analysis of 2011 statistics.

NHTSA recently issued a preliminary estimate that 33,780 people died in all traffic collisions in 2012 — a 4% increase over the prior year and the first time in seven years that fatalities increased.

The agency also estimated that total traffic deaths dropped by 8% during the first half of 2013, compared with the first six months of the previous year.

“While it is too soon to speculate on the contributing factors or potential implications of any changes in the deaths on our roadways, it should be noted that the historic downward trend in traffic fatalities in the past several years means any comparison will be to an unprecedented low baseline figure,” according to the preliminary report.

Truck-involved crash fatalities increased in 2011 — the last full year with data available — to 3,757. That was up from 3,686 in 2010 and 3,380 in 2009, according to FMCSA.

There were 3,608 large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2011, a 3% increase over 2010 — and a 12% increase over 2009. Still, the 2011 figure is 25% below the number

of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2001, FMCSA said.

The rate of crashes per vehicle miles traveled, isn’t clear, however, because of changes in the methodology used by some states, said Sean McNally, a spokesman for American Trucking Associations.

“The agency stated that it cannot go back and revise the 2010 numbers based on the 2011 methodology; therefore, one cannot compare VMT between the two years,” McNally said. “VMT data might have improved as a result of better data collection in certain states; a consequence is that one cannot compare 2011 data to prior-year figures.”

Federal data show the number of large trucks in fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled increased to 1.35 in 2011 from 1.22 in 2010.

Among other figures highlighted in the FMCSA 2011 report:

• Tractors hauling a semi-trailer accounted for 61% of large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 47% of those in nonfatal collisions.

• Most collisions occurred during daylight hours — 65% of fatal crashes and 78% of nonfatal crashes happened between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Truck drivers were more likely than commuters to comply with seat belt laws. In fatal crashes, 83% of truck drivers were reported by police to be wearing their seat belts. That’s compared with 65% in passenger vehicles, FMCSA reports.

• Truck drivers also were less likely to be driving impaired. Only 2.5% of truck drivers in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content of .01% or greater. In 1% of fatal collisions, the truck driver’s blood-alcohol level was .08% or more.

• Passenger vehicles were responsible for 89% of head-on collisions and 74% of rear-end crashes.

• In fatal crashes involving large trucks, driver-related factors were recorded for 34% of them. Speed was the top driver-related factor (8%), followed by distraction/inattention (6%), impairment (4%), failure to stay in the proper lane (4%) and blocked vision (3.5%).