NHTSA: Fatalities involving large trucks remain relatively unchanged

From Fleet Owner. Fatalities in crashes involving at least one heavy commercial truck showed relatively no change, decreasing from 5,006 in 2018 to 5,005 in 2019, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). On Oct. 1 NHTSA released a preview of 2019 data from the Fatality…

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From Fleet Owner.

Fatalities in crashes involving at least one heavy commercial truck showed relatively no change, decreasing from 5,006 in 2018 to 5,005 in 2019, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). On Oct. 1 NHTSA released a preview of 2019 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and preliminary estimates for the first half of 2020.

According to the agency, traffic deaths decreased nationwide during 2019 as compared to 2018. There were 36,096 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019. This represents a decrease of 739 (down 2%) from the reported 36,835 fatalities in 2018, even though vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by nearly 1%. As a result, the fatality rate for 2019 was 1.10 fatalities per 100 million VMT – the lowest rate since 2014, down from 1.14 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2018.

NHTSA also released preliminary fatality estimates for the first half of 2020. The second quarter of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 public health emergency, showed a continued decline in overall traffic fatalities. The FARS data indicate that an estimated 8,870 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of about 3.3% compared to the second quarter of 2019, which translates into 302 fewer fatalities as compared to the same period in 2019.

See the complete article from Fleet Owner online.

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