The American Trucking Association says they’re ‘pleased’ with the results of newly released federal data that shows a drop in large truck-involved crash rates in 2013.
The ATA states the following the release of the Federal Highway Administration’s estimated miles traveled by trucks in 2013, the agency was able to calculate the number of truck-involved crash fatality rate as 1.44 per 100 million miles traveled. The ATA says that’s a 1.6% decline from 2012.
The fatality rate has dropped 39.2% over the last decade, the ATA says, and the injury rate has dropped 34.2%.
“The trucking industry’s efforts to improve safety on our highways are showing results,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “While there is still much work to do, we should feel good that because of the efforts of ATA and others in the industry, our highways are safer, even as our trucks deliver more goods all across our nation.”
“For years, as our industry was driving more miles and involved in fewer crashes, ATA has been urging the federal government to better focus on the known causes of crashes,” said ATA First Vice Chairman Pat Thomas, vice president, UPS. “From petitioning NHTSA on speed limiters, to urging more traffic enforcement to prevent aggressive driving, ATA will continue to press regulators to implement the most effective highway safety countermeasures.”
From ATA:
**The Federal Highway Administration implemented an enhanced methodology for estimating registered vehicles and vehicle miles traveled by vehicle type beginning with data from 2007. As a result, involvement rates may differ, and in some cases significantly, from earlier years.