Truck Traffic Deaths Decline 12%, NHTSA Says

The number of Americans killed in truck-related crashes fell 12% in 2008 to 4,229, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday.

The decline was the third in a row, pushed the number of truck-related deaths down to their lowest point since 1975 when began keeping records.

The number of truck occupants killed in crashes also plummeted, falling 16% to 677, the lowest point since 1994.

NHTSA said that the total number of Americans killed on the nation's highways was 37,261 — a 9.7% decline from 2007.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that “while the number of highway deaths in America has decreased, we still have a long way to go.”

Rose McMurray, acting administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told Transport Topics the agency's outreach efforts to carriers and industry groups, improved enforcement of traffic around large trucks and a projected decline in vehicle miles traveled due to the poor economy were all contributors to the drop in fatalities.

“This achievement is great for all highway users,” American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said in a statement.

“We must build upon this and look toward long-term improvements. The trucking industry remains committed to safety and ATA will continue to advance its aggressive safety agenda in an effort to further this outstanding trend,” he said.