Fatalities From Truck-Involved Crashes Declined in 2002, NHTSA Says
he number of fatalities from truck-involved crashes declined 3.5% to 4,902 in 2002, from 5,082 the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s preliminary estimates.
This compares with a rise in the total number of people who died on the nation’s highways. NHTSA said 42,850 people died in 2002, up from 42,116 in 2001. That is the highest number of fatalities since 1990, NHTSA said in an April 23 release.
“Although this 3.5% decline in fatalities is a positive trend, the American trucking industry believes more commonsense steps can be taken to save lives,” American Trucking Associations Chief Executive Bill Graves said in a statement. “If we all insist on increased, visible traffic enforcement for cars and trucks -- especially for speeders -- then we’ll continue to see the numbers move in the right direction.”
If NHTSA’s final figures do not change, 2002 would mark the first time the annual figure of fatalities from truck-involved crashes dropped below 5,000 since 1995.
NHTSA also said the number of people injured in truck-related crashes declined an estimated 3.1% to 127,000.
NHTSA said it annually collects crash statistics from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to produce the annual report on traffic fatality trends. It said the final 2002 report should be available in August.
(Click here for ATA’s full statement.)
