Truck Accidents Likely to Increase According to the NHTSA

Truck Accidents Likely to Increase

USA- Ttnews.com writes that there appears to have been a rise in fatal truck crashes in the United States in 2019. The trend may continue in 2020 and beyond. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that a rise of about one percent in deadly crashes that involved one or more large trucks took place last year. The numbers include both private and commercial vehicles as long as they weigh more than 10,000 pounds.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) noted that there is a need for increased safety measures when it comes to commercial vehicles. Efforts to improve safety may include updated rules regarding the hours of service, new driver-assisted technology, and implementing the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.

While deadly large truck crashes rose, the number of overall traffic deaths declined slightly last year. Based on current projections, 2020 will see fewer traffic deaths than the previous year. Officials are pleased with the fact that traffic deaths dropped for the third year in a row. The drop in fatal crashes comes even while miles driven rose by almost one percent.

Data also shows that only one of the ten geographic regions in the country experienced a rise in traffic deaths in 209. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) writes that the southeast states with high populations experienced a two percent rise in deadly crashes last year.

The NHTSA stated that it is too soon for researchers to state what factors likely contributed to the changing trends in traffic deaths across the country. It is also worth noting that while traffic deaths have dropped by small margins in recent years, they are still much higher than the numbers from ten years ago.