The latest truck safety data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that once again the trucking industry showed significant progress for crash rates.
The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. dropped 31 percent between 2007 to 2009, the agency stated in a new report.
The number of large trucks per 100 million vehicle miles dropped 26 percent, while the corresponding rate for automobiles fell 17 percent.
Injury rates showed similar progress – down 26 percent for commercial trucks, compared to 8 percent for cars.
Double trailers accounted for just 3 percent of commercial trucks involved in crashes while triples accounted for 0.1 percent.
Police reported that 82 percent of the truck drivers involved in crashes were wearing their seat belts while only 63 percent of car drivers did so.
