United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-06-29 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-182 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182 P0b002ee1803a1e84 f:rc99182 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182 RCED-99-182 Highway safety Transportation statistics Public roads or highways Safety regulation Traffic accidents Accident prevention Motor vehicle safety Trucking operations NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System OMCHS Performance and Registration Information Systems Management Program OMCHS Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Network OMCHS SafeStat System OMCHS No-Zone Campaign Letter Report RCED Of the more than 42,00 people who died on the nation's highways in 1997--the latest year for which data are available--about 5,400 died in crashes involving large trucks. This figure represents a 21-percent increase from 1992, reversing a trend of decreasing truck fatalities since the late 1980s. This recent increase in fatalities reflects, in part, a 25-percent increase in the annual number of miles traveled by large trucks since 1992. Although trucks are involved in fewer crashes per mile traveled than are passenger vehicles, crashes involving trucks are more likely to result in fatalities. In 1997, 98 percent of the deaths from wrecks involving a truck and a passenger vehicle were occupants of the passenger vehicles. Although no reliable nationwide data exist on the causes of crashes involving large trucks, some data indicate that passenger vehicle drivers' behavior is a significant contributing factor to crashes. The Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety plans to design and fund a study to obtain more detailed information on factors that may contribute to crashes involving large trucks. The Office has planned or undertaken several efforts to improve truck safety. These steps include identifying high-risk carriers that should be reviewed for compliance with safety regulations, educating passenger vehicle drivers about how to share the road with large trucks, and developing technology to alert truck drivers of the onset of drowsiness. However, the Office's effectiveness is limited by (1) long-standing data problems, (2) the length of time it takes to complete activities, and (3) the unknown effect of its campaign to educate passenger vehicle drivers about the limitations of large trucks. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182.pdf GAO/RCED-99-182 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-182 Letter Report GAO/RCED-99-182; Truck Safety: Motor Carriers Office Hampered by Limited; Highway safety Transportation statistics Public roads or highways Safety regulation Traffic accidents Accident prevention Motor vehicle safety Trucking operations NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System OMCHS Performance and Registration Information Systems Management Program OMCHS Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Network OMCHS SafeStat System OMCHS No-Zone Campaign