The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new traffic
statistics today for 2012. According
to the Truck Safety Coalition, truck crash fatalities increased for the
third consecutive year. In 2012, truck accident deaths
increased by nearly four percent. The statistics also indicate that
truck occupant fatalities increased by roughly nine percent, indicating that
truck accidents are deadly for the occupants of all vehicles. Due to the
economic recovery, trucking companies are putting more trucks on the road,
moving more freight, and as a result increasing the potential for trucking
accidents.
Despite
a rise in truck
accident fatalities, the trucking industry continues to push for an
increase in the maximum number of hours a trucker may operate without rest and
to allow larger payloads for truckers to haul. Currently, truck drivers are
allowed to drive for 11 hours out of a 14 hour work day, and they routinely
work more than 70 hours in a week. Safety advocates like the Truck Safety
Coalition have long opposed longer hours of service for truck drivers because
truck driver fatigue is a contributing factor in too many truck accidents. The
Truck Safety Coalition has also opposed the trucking industry push to allow
heavier trucks on America's highways, asserting that bigger, heavier, trucks
cause deadlier accidents.
With truck accident deaths on the rise, it is
critical that organizations like the Truck Safety Coalition receive support in
their efforts to address truck safety issues.
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