Truck Fatalities Rise 8.7%

Fatalities involving large trucks increased 8.7% in 2010.
 
The first increase in four years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week.

NHTSA said in its annual report that 3,675 people died in truck-related accidents in 2010, an increase of 295 from the 2009 total of 3,380.

In addition, the number of people injured in truck-related accidents rose to 19,000 in 2010, from 17,000 in 2009, a 12% increase.

At the same time, truck occupant fatalities increased by 6%, to 529 in 2010 from 499 in 2009.

“We’re still trying to figure out clearly what [caused] this uptick,” NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said at the Dec. 8 press conference where the report was unveiled.

Increased truck traffic because of the economic recovery could be a factor, he said. The Federal Highway Administration tracks truck miles traveled each year but is not expected to complete its 2010 mileage analysis until next month.