Truck Fatalities Rose 0.7% Last Year, NHTSA Reports

he number of truck-involved highway fatalities rose 0.7% to 5,226 in 2005, the third straight yearly increase, according to preliminary figures released April 20 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

However, an increase in the number of miles traveled by commercial vehicles will probably hold the fatality rate at or below already record lows, a truck safety official told Transport Topics.

“What my gut is telling me is we have an increase in freight demand and it’s probably especially in major metropolitan areas and we’re going to have an increase in vehicle miles traveled,” said Steve Keppler, director of policy and programs for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

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