Trucking Fatality Numbers Fall

Thirty-three fewer people died in accidents involving large trucks in 1999 than in 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, news the trucking industry hailed as a testament to its safety efforts.

The report was tempered by NHTSA’s estimate that 15,000 more people were injured in truck crashes in 1999 than in 1998.

According to data published last week, 5,362 people were killed in truck accidents last year compared with 5,395 in 1998. The data came from NHTSA’s Fatality Accident Reporting System database and appeared in the agency’s annual publication, Traffic Safety Facts.

Figures for 1998 were revised upward from the 5,374 deaths reported earlier (11-01, p. 1). The 1999 numbers also could be changed as late arriving police reports are tallied, NHTSA officials said.

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