NHTSA Says Number of US Truck Crashes Dropped 12% in 2008
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 4,229 US truck-related deaths in 2008—the lowest total since the federal government started keeping track of truck accident fatalities and a definite decline from the 4,822 large truck crash deaths in 2007. Truck driver deaths and truck passenger fatalities dropped by 16% last year to 677 deaths.
One reason for the decrease in trucker fatalities is that the number of miles traveled by large truck drivers last year dropped 2.7% to 2.92 trillion miles. While any decline in the number of large truck deaths is positive progress, there is still more that truckers, trucking company, and the trucking industry can do to decrease the number of large truck-related injuries and fatalities that happen.
Road Safe America, which is committed to making roads safer, suggests that professional truck drivers undergo training and safety requirements similar to the training and requirements that airline pilots must complete and abide by.
According to Road Safe America:
• There are 10 million commercial truck drivers, compared to 590,000 airline pilots.
• There are 8 million commercial trucks and 220,000 airline aircrafts.
• While pilots have an age limit of 65, there is no age limit for commercial truck drivers.
• Pilots must undergo a physical every six months.
• Commercial truck drivers must undergo a physical every two years.
• Pilots fly a maximum of 30 hours a week, compared to commercial truckers who are allowed to drive their trucks for more than double that amount of time over a one-week period.
• In the last 3 years, less than 100 airline pilots have died, compared to the more than 15,000 trucker deaths and 300,000 to 400,000 truck drivers that were injured during the same time period.
Truck drivers are responsible for safely transporting tens of thousands of pounds of truck cargo to different destinations in Illinois and the rest of the United Sates. A Chicago, Illinois truck crash can lead to catastrophic consequences for those involved, so it is important that truckers have the experienced, skills, and are physically fit enough to safely do their jobs.
Truck Fatalities Fall 12%, Transport Topics Online, July 22, 2009
Truck Driver v. Airline Pilot Comparison, Road Safe America
Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Contact our Chicago truck crash law firm today.
