WASHINGTON — The Large Truck Crash Causation Study announced by U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this past spring is now available to the public.

The complete report can be downloaded at this URL: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/ltccs/default.asp or clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

LTCCS is the first-ever national study to attempt to determine the critical events and associated factors that contribute to serious large truck crashes allowing the DOT and others to implement effective countermeasures to reduce the occurrence and severity of these crashes.

As TodaysTrucking.com reported in March, the three-year data collection project conducted by FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found that driver behavior — not other factors such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance — is more likely to be the cause of a crash involving large trucks and other vehicles.

The study also found that passenger car drivers were more likely at fault than truck drivers in those cases.

While previous data focused on specific crashes and/or individual causes of crashes, this study was the first nation-wide examination of all pre-crash factors.

“This study makes it clear that we need to spend more time addressing driver behavior, as well as making sure trucks and buses are fit for the road,” said former FMCSA Administrator Annette M. Sandberg at the time. “The multitude of data now available will allow us to analyze specific areas of behavior and work with our industry and safety partners to develop an agenda on driver safety that will improve commercial motor vehicle driver performance.”

The study further examines driver factors such as use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, speeding, fatigue, inattention, distractions, work environment, and unfamiliarity with the road.