Editorial: Trucking Safety Bright Spot

In these trying times of high fuel prices, escalating intrusion into our workplaces by OSHA and a drive for tougher diesel emission rules from EPA that seems certain to add to fuel problems, it's nice to get a little good news: Trucking is getting safer.

For the second consecutive year, accidents involving heavy trucks declined, as did fatal crashes and the number of fatalities in those crashes. According to preliminary numbers from the Department of Transportation, the total number of truck-involved accidents declined 4.3%, fatalities were down 3% and fatal crashes involving trucks fell 2% from the previous year.

This is a notable accomplishment, especially in light of the fact that all expectations are that the total number of miles driven by trucks increased substantially in 1999. Government figures on truck mileage, which is the basis for the all-important rate of fatalities per 100 million miles of travel, aren't due out for a few months.

Clearly, the results for 1999 represent a strong step toward the goal set by Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater to cut truck-related deaths by more than half — to around 2,500 a year — by 2009. The results, we are hopeful, are the leading edge of a good trend. Fatalities fell to 5,203 last year, from 5,374 in 1998, a decline of 171 deaths. This number was also lower in 1998 than in 1997.

Chris Licht, chairman of ATA's Safety Management Council, said the improving safety performance is the result of the joint efforts of the industry and the government. He said the reductions show that increased traffic enforcement, coupled with efforts by trucking companies to better train drivers, are paying off.

“While not a surprise, this is great news for our professional truck drivers and our motor carriers,” said ATA President Walter B. McCormick Jr.

While the preliminary results are heartening, they also show us that much work remains to be done. There was no improvement in the number of injuries, for example, and more people inside the big trucks died in crashes than in the previous year. Also, it's very difficult to reduce highway accident and fatality rates at a time when traffic is becoming more congested, overall safety statistics are worsening and vehicle speeds seem only to get faster and faster.

The trucking industry needs to take heart from the achievements of recent years, and use those results as the rationale for spending even more attention and money on making even greater gains.