WASHINGTON, (Jan. 22, 2004) — New statistics released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Transportation show continued major improvement in highway safety for the U.S. trucking industry.

The new fatal crash rate for large trucks is 1.9 fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled-an 11 per cent reduction from 2002,and the lowest point since the DOT began keeping large truck safety records in 1975.

The drop in the large truck fatal crash rate coincides with a reduction in the number of truck-involved highway fatalities for the fifth year in a row. In 2002, trucking was the only highway user group to record a decline, according to the DOT.

Studies by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety show that up to 75 per cent of crashes between cars and large trucks result from an error by the passenger car operator.

— Via Truckinginfo.com