U.S. Truck Fatality Rate Dips in ’05; Crash Rate Unchanged

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he rate at which people died in large-truck-related crashes in the United States fell during 2005, according to an analysis of data released last week by the Department of Transportation.

The fatality rate fell to 2.34 deaths per 100 million miles driven last year, versus 2004’s rate of 2.37 deaths. Transport Topics calculated the rate by dividing the number of deaths by the number of miles driven, as reported by DOT.

Meanwhile, the fatal crash rate for incidents involving large trucks during 2005 was 2.03 per 100 million miles driven, unchanged from the previous year. The fatal crash rate shows how often large trucks were involved in such incidents, while the fatality rate measures how many people were killed.

For the full story, see the Dec. 4 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.