Fatal highway truck crashes drop to half that of 1980s rate

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Dec 17, 2005 | by Sean Holstege, STAFF WRITER

A three-truck pileup on Interstate 580 on Thursday served as a reminder of the perils of trucking, but also of the industry's progress.

Nobody died.

That follows a national trend that will be reported in data to be released by the federal government next week. The data will show that 2004 was the safest year on record, measured by the number of fatal truck crashes and the volume of traffic.

The 2004 rate was 1.96 fatal crashes involving trucks for every 100 million miles driven by U.S. motorists on the nation's highway system. The deadly crash rate is half what it was until the mid- 1980s, and down 2.5 percent from 2003.

"We're talking about statistics, so it'seasy to forget what matters. That's 108 lives that were saved. That's important," said Dave Osiecki, vice president of safety at the American Trucking Associations.

Of course, with statistics, it's always a matter of how you look at it. Another way, 5,190 people died in 4,440 truck-involved crashes in 2004, up from 5,036 deaths in 4,335 wrecks the year before.

The silver lining is that while the raw number of crashes climbed 3 percent, the amount of travel climbed 5 percent.

Bay Area drivers, who know all too well about sharing harrowing commutes with trucks -- especially on I-580 and the "nasty" Nimitz Freeway -- don't need to search for the silver lining.

In 2004 the California Highway Patrol recorded 31 crashes and 38 fatalities in the Bay Area. In 2003, there were 32 crashes, but even the 37 dead marked a sharp drop from the 51 people who died in truck crashes in 2000.

All the while, the amount of driving has steadily climbed, up 3.6 percent in 2003-04 and up 6 percent since 2000.

"It's encouraging. Fewer and fewer people are dying," said CHP Sgt. Wayne Ziese.

He credited better truckers, better car drivers, strengthened enforcement and improved changes in engineering to vehicles and roads. Cars are better able to withstand crashes and Caltrans has replaced old cloverleaf interchanges with smoother fly-overs, which allow safer truck merges. Also, on some Bay Area freeways, Caltrans has added auxiliary lanes to smoothen truck merges.

Bay Area drivers may be surprised to learn that they are more often the cause of truck crashes than truckers. According to statewide CHP data, truckers are found at fault 44 percent of the time.

The California State Automobile Association publishes a tip sheet to teach car drivers how to more safely share the road with big rigs. Most often, motorists get in trouble when they don't practice defensive driving.

For instance, a truck needs 700 feet -- the length of two football fields -- to come to stop, so when a car quickly changes lanes, it begs trouble. Truckers' blind spots are severe. The rule of thumb for car drivers is: If you can't see the trucker in his wing mirrors, he can't see you.

The CSAA advises people to allow 30 seconds to pass a truck and to keep both hands on the wheel when passing, due to the wind gusts that trucks create.

That doesn't mean truckers are blameless. When the CHP finds them at fault, three times in eight, the trucker was speeding, according to state crash data.

The trucking industry says it's trying to clean up its own house, and with the government, it's helping make highways safer. The government has tightened licensing on truckers and has clamped down on bad drivers and the bad firms that hire them, Osiecki said. For instance, states have been enforcing since 2002 a new law whereby a trucker who gets a moving violation driving his personal vehicle will have it applied to his commercial license.

Meantime, the industry has improved training.

"There are more training simulators, more PC-based training programs. There are more fleet management technologies. We have real- time on-board technologies that tell the trucking industry about dangerous driving behavior," Osiecki said.

Also, "the jury awards on truck crashes have escalated dramatically," he said, noting "The insurance industry won't allow firms to hire unqualified drivers." easy to forget what matters. That's 108 lives that were saved. That's important," said Dave Osiecki, vice president of safety at the American Trucking Associations.

Of course, with statistics, it's always a matter of how you look at it. Another way, 5,190 people died in 4,440 truck-involved crashes in 2004, up from 5,036 deaths in 4,335 wrecks the year before.

The silver lining is that while the raw number of crashes climbed 3 percent, the amount of travel climbed 5 percent.

Bay Area drivers, who know all too well about sharing harrowing commutes with trucks -- especially on I-580 and the "nasty" Nimitz Freeway -- don't need to search for the silver lining.

In 2004 the California Highway Patrol recorded 31 crashes and 38 fatalities in the Bay Area. In 2003, there were 32 crashes, but even the 37 dead marked a sharp drop from the 51 people who died in truck crashes in 2000.

All the while, the amount of driving has steadily climbed, up 3.6 percent in 2003-04 and up 6 percent since 2000.

"It's encouraging. Fewer and fewer people are dying," said CHP Sgt. Wayne Ziese.