Truck-related Highway Fatalities Rose in 2003, NHTSA Says

The number of fatalities related to truck crashes on U.S. highways rose 0.9% to 4,942 in 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report detailing preliminary data on highway deaths.

In 2002, there were 4,897 deaths related to truck crashes on U.S. roads, NHTSA said. The agency said overall highway deaths rose 9.6% in 2003 to 43,200, a figure Reuters newswire called a 13-year high. The agency said it planned to publish final data in August.

NHTSA said the fatality rate remained unchanged at about 1.5 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

"With the total number of highway fatalities increasing across the board, all highway user groups need to keep working together to help save lives," American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves, a sentiment echoed by NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge.

"Although we are seeing progress in some areas, our nation must take this epidemic seriously," said Runge. "Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in American children and young adults, but that can change through personal responsibility and enforcement of laws and regulations."

NHTSA said that 58% of all those killed in highway crashes were not wearing their seat belts and 40% of all fatalities were alcohol-related.

"Of special concern to us," Graves said, "is the number of solo truck drivers who died in crashes because they weren’t wearing their safety belt. These deaths are preventable and unnecessary."