Truck-related deaths decline

Trucking safety is improving, according to the latest figures from the Federal Highway Administration.

The truck-involved fatality rate in 2008 declined 12.3 percent to 1.86 per 100 million miles from 2.12 per 100 million miles in 2007, the FHWA said.

This decline marks the largest year-to-year drop ever and the fifth consecutive year the fatality rate has improved.
 
Persons injured in large truck crashes went from 44.4 per 100 million miles in 2007 to 39.6 in 2008, an 11 percent reduction. Injury rates are based on the FHWA’s figures that report truck vehicle miles traveled increased in 2008 to 227.45 billion miles from 227.06 billion in 2007. During that same time, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the actual number of truck-involved injuries fell to 101,000 from 90,000.

Data on truck-involved fatal crashes can be found here.

Vehicle miles traveled by truck can be found here.