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Oct 12, 2016

TRAFFIC DEATHS * USA: Up sharply in first half of the year

* New York - U.S. traffic deaths rose 10.4%, raising fresh concerns about distracted driving

--- U.S. traffic fatalities surged in the first six months of 2016, raising fresh concerns over distracted driving and highlighting efforts to equip vehicles with technologically advanced safety gear at an accelerated pace... Traffic deaths rose 10.4% in the first half, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday, a steep increase following a surprising uptick in fatalities last year... The U.S. logged more than 17,700 traffic fatalities in the first six months of 2016, regulators estimated... While traffic fatalities are growing at an abnormal clip, absolute levels remain lower than they were a decade ago, when cars and trucks had far less safety gear. In the first half of 2006, for instance, 20,500 fatalities were recorded. The U.S. is currently experiencing a sustained stretch of low gasoline prices and employment gains, which tend to increase traffic and the risk of fatal crashes... Still, more than 35,000 traffic deaths were reported on American roads in 2015, the largest increase since 1966 and the first uptick in a few years... Drivers in their 20s represent 24% of those in fatal crashes, but are 29% of distracted drivers and 39% of distracted drivers using cellphones... 
(Photo: AP - Road fatalities are on par to exceed the highest previous annual record of 35,000 in 1966, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration)   --  NY, USA - The WSJ, by JOHN D. STOLL and MIKE SPECTOR - Oct. 5, 2016

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Jul 5, 2016

TRAFFIC FATALITIES * USA: 7,7% increase in 2015

* DC - NHTSA projects 7.7% increase in 2015 fatalities; large truck fatalities forecast to be up 4%

--- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that a statistical projection of traffic fatalities shows that an estimated 35,200 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015, representing an increase of about 7.7 percent as compared to the 32,675 fatalities that were reported to have occurred in 2014... If these projections are realized, fatalities will be at the highest level since 2008, when 37,423 fatalities were reported... Although it did not give sub-category predictions in raw numbers, NHTSA said it is projecting that fatalities involving large trucks will show an increase of 4 percent in 2015... According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 3,903 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks in 2014, which was a 1.8 percent decline from 2013... For reporting purposes, federal agencies define large trucks as any truck with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or more... 
 (Photo from Trucker - According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 3,903 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks in 2014, which was a 1.8 percent decline from 2013)   --  Washington, DC, USA - The Trucker News Services - 1st July 2016

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May 20, 2016

TRUCK CRASH FATALITIES * Australia: Fell 80%

* South Australia - Fatal articulated truck crash rate falls by 80 per cent

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--- The new figures show the rate of fatal articulated truck crashes fell 80 per cent between 1982 and 2015. The figures were compiled by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide from government statistics... “Safety is always the trucking industry’s first priority. These figures show the dramatic improvement we have achieved, with the fatal crash rate for articulated trucks falling by 80 per cent between 1982 and 2015,” ATA CEO Chris Melham said... “During this time, the number of articulated trucks on Australian roads doubled... Even as truck and car numbers have grown, the rate of fatal accidents has fallen thanks to better roads, improvements in vehicle design, stronger laws and the industry’s own commitment to safety" ... “In contrast, there is no proven link between the price fixing established by the former Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal and safety. The safety figures used by the TWU to justify the tribunal have been shown to be flawed... Instead of improving safety, the RSRT made small trucking businesses uncompetitive, and imposed an enormous paperwork burden on the industry,” he said... 
(Image Authoritative)   --  Adelaide, SA, Australia - ATA Friday Facts - 20 May 2016

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May 13, 2013

Fatal vehicle crashes, much higher than think * USA

* DC - Crashes due to cell-phone use: worse than thought?

Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -May 8, 2013: -- A new study released by the National Safety Council (NSC) this week claims that the number of fatal vehicle crashes caused by driver distraction due to cell-phone usage could be much higher than many think – largely due to “coding errors” on the part of regulators... For example: Even when drivers admitted cell-phone use during a fatal crash, NSC’s analysis found that in almost half of such cases, the crash wasn’t coded in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Analysis Reporting System(FARS) to reflect the distractive usage of such devices. Furthermore, in NSC’s report – entitled Crashes Involving Cell Phones: Challenges of Collecting and Reporting Reliable Crash Data and funded in part by the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company – after reviewing 180 fatal crashes between 2009 to 2011, where evidence indicated driver cell phone usage, only 52% in 2011 were coded in the FARS database to reflect that... Indeed, as indicated by its own research and NHTSA data, NSC estimates 25% of all crashes – not just fatal ones – involve cell phone usage by drivers while operating vehicles...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:58 AM  0 comments

May 5, 2013

* USA - Highway Fatality Rate

* DC -  Rises for first time in six years

(Photo via Facebook: Rafael de Mestre's Crashed Tesla Roadster)
Washington,DC,USA -The Car Connection, by Bengt Halvorson -May 3, 2013: -- U.S. drivers may have felt safer than ever on the road in 2012, thanks to ever-better vehicle protection. Yet the number of people killed on U.S. highways took an alarming step in the wrong direction, rising for the first time in six years and marking the end of our longest continuous stretch of annual declines... In its “Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2012” report, the federal government reported (from preliminary figures) that U.S. highway deaths rose 5.3 percent in 2012, to 34,080... The improvement in economic conditions could be part of it... Driver distraction and the use of smartphones while driving—whether with the handset or through ever-evolving connected vehicle interfaces—are another potential factor... 


* DC - Truckers say traffic deaths underscore need for driver training, crashworthiness 

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line, by David Tanner -6 May 2013: -- A federal agency that sets and enforces safety and equipment standards for motor vehicles says more people died on the highways in 2012 compared with 2011. While the numbers do not yet show how many fatalities occurred in crashes involving trucks, truckers continue to make a case for comprehensive training for drivers and crashworthiness standards for trucks... If the estimate holds up, it would end a six-year trend of year-over-year decreases in fatalities but still amount to a 22 percent decrease over 2005, when 43,510 people died... NHTSA does not say why the 2012 numbers are up, but does point out that Americans likely drove more miles than they did in 2011... The Federal Highway Administration says Americans traveled 9.1 billion more miles in 2012 than they did in 2011, an increase of about 0.3 percent... From a trucking perspective, OOIDA continues to advocate for cab crashworthiness standards for trucks and comprehensive training for entry level drivers...

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Mar 12, 2010

Traffic Fatalities * USA - Reach Record Low, DOT Says

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -11 March 2010: -- The Department of Transportation said Thursday that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th consecutive quarter... According to early DOT projections, the fatality rate, which takes into account the number of miles traveled, reached the lowest level ever recorded, DOT said in a statement... DOT estimated the highway death count at 33,963, a drop of 8.9% from the 37,261 reported in 2008... The fatality rate for 2009 declined to the lowest on record, to 1.16 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from 1.25 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2008, DOT said... The data did not show the fatality rate related to trucks...


* USA - Crash-Related Data Hidden by Toyota

Southlake,TX,USA -MSNBC, by Curt Anderson & Danny Robbins - March 5, 2010: -- Most modern vehicles have event data recorder "black boxes". Toyota has blocked access to data stored for years... Toyota has recalled 8M vehicles to fix problems. 52 people have died in crashes linked to accelerator problems... Toyota's "black box" information is emerging as a critical legal issue. Most other automakers routinely allow much more open access... Toyota has been inconsistent and sometimes contradictory about data recorded. Has repeatedly stonewalled or settled in lawsuits to avoid disclosing data... "Because the EDR system is an experimental device and is neither intended, nor reliable, for accident reconstruction, Toyota's policy is to download data only at the direction of law enforcement, NHTSA or a court order" said Toyota statement... (Photo: Toyota recall timeline)

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Oct 14, 2009

ACCIDENTS' FATALITIES * USA - Lower miles equals fewer fatal crashes

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -13 Oct 2009: -- The number of motor vehicle-related deaths in the U.S. fell by 7 percent in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year... According to stats by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic crash fatalities were down to 16,626 in the first half of this year, versus 17,871 a year ago... NHTSA says traffic fatalities have been steadily declining since 2005... The number of vehicles miles traveled fell by about 6.1 billion miles, or 0.4 percent in the first half of 2009. In conjunction, the fatality rates dropped to 1.15 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from 1.23 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2008...(Photo from car-accidents: Guard Rail- Fatal Crash)

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posted by Unknown @ 10:59 AM  0 comments

Aug 21, 2008

Traffic fatalities * USA - Down 4%, DOT says

Washington,DC,USA -USA -Fleet Owners, by Justin Carretta -Aug 20, 2008: -- According to a report released by the Department of Transportation, the number of fatalities on U.S. roadways fell 3.9% in 2007, reaching the lowest total in more than a decade and the lowest fatality rate on record... U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced the overall number of traffic fatalities fell to 41,059, the lowest number since 1994. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles was 1.37, the smallest figure ever recorded... In addition, the 2.49 million people injured in highway crashes last year is the lowest seen since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting injury data in 1988, Peters added...

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