In The News

Eye on Trucking: U.S. had largest drop in traffic deaths from ’05-’09, but…

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — This is one of those good news, but we’re not quite ready yet to strike up the band in celebration situations.

Between 2005 and 2009, the U.S. experienced the largest decline in traffic fatalities the magnitude of which has not occurred over such a short period of time since road-safety statistics were first kept starting in 1913, with the exception for the reductions during World War II.

Two researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, in a recently-released study cite primarily economic factors as the reason for the sharp decline, although there are other factors, they say.

But it still makes you wonder what might, but hopefully will not, happen when freight picks up again.

The research is based around the most recent complete data available, which is for the year 2008.

In 2005, there were 39,189 fatal accidents resulting in 43,510 fatalities. In 2008, there were 34,017 fatal accidents resulting in 37,261 fatalities.

That’s a drop of 13.2 percent of fatal accidents and 14.4 percent in fatalities.

There was a further reduction of total fatalities in 2009 to 33,963, but detailed data were not yet available when the researchers prepared their report, titled “Toward Understanding the Recent Large Reductions in U.S. Road Fatalities.”

“A majority of huge changes we’re seeing are economically driven,” Sivak told The Trucker. “We don’t know of any one thing that has been implemented from the standpoint of safety. Those things show up more gradually.”

Sivak said one fact of interest to the trucking industry is that the rate of involvement of heavy trucks in fatal accidents dropped more sharply than total vehicles.

In 2005, 3,780 trucks weighing 33,001 pounds or more were involved in fatal accidents. That number dropped to 3,081 in 2008, a reduction of 18.5 percent.

In 2005, there were 59,373 total vehicles involved in fatal accidents. That number dropped to 50,430, a reduction of 15.1 percent.

“We think the reduction in heavy trucks’ involvement in fatal crashes is because of the fact that there has been a large reduction in shipments,” Sivak said, while acknowledging again that there had been a reduction in all vehicle categories because of the economic downturn.

So, he said, other than reduced truck traffic on the highway, the researchers couldn’t point to any other factors in the larger percentage drop in heavy truck involvement in fatal accidents.

Sivak pointed to several other highlights of the report:

The largest changes in fatal accidents by time-of-day occurred in what’s typically called morning drive (6 a.m.-8:59 a.m., down 16.7 percent) and evening drive time (3 p.m.-5:59 p.m., down 17.8 percent). The researchers attributed the larger drops during those times to the economy as fewer people were on the way to and from work. The number of side airbag deployment in vehicles so equipped increased 220.1 percent, resulting in a greater reduction of fatalities from side impact collisions than front-to-front and front-to-rear collisions. The number of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes increased (14.2 percent) while the rate for all other vehicle body types decreased. “That is consistent with research showing that baby boomers in their late 40s or early 50s are buying large bikes and riding them for the first time,” Sivak said.
Data was not available on how many motorcycle fatalities occurred in states with some type of motorcycle helmet law.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 20 states and the District of Columbia have motorcycle helmet laws that require all riders to wear a helmet.

Twenty-seven states have a motorcycle helmet law that only require some riders to wear a helmet.

Three states (Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire) do not have a motorcycle helmet law.

Roads with a speed limit of 50 mph or greater showed reductions than were greater than the overall reductions, while the opposite was the case for roads with speed limits between 20 and 45 mph. “This pattern is consistent with the postulated decrease in speeds that are consequences of drivers’ efforts to improve fuel economy of these vehicles,” the researchers said. Young drivers showed greater reductions in fatalities (29.9 percent lower for age 15 and younger and 21.4 percent lower for ages 16-20 compared with the overall 15.1 percent decline). “This could be a result of two factors,” Sivak said, “recent graduated licensing laws for novice drivers and the fact that younger drivers have been affected more by economic conditions that middle-aged drivers.” Fatal accidents attributed to inattention (talking, eating, using cell phones, etc.) increased 42.1 percent. “This suggests drivers were likely to be distracted more today than ever before,” Sivak said. Fatal accidents attributed to being drowsy, sleepy or fatigued dropped 32.9 percent, and Utah reported the largest increase in fatal accidents (3.8 percent), South Dakota the largest decrease (32.3 percent).
A complete copy of the report is available on the UMTRI website at umtri.umich.edu/news.php .

Lyndon Finney of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected] .

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